Just Friends
by blazergrl89
Summary: A broken hearted girl moves to California to follow her dreams as a song writer.She befriends the Gray boys but one of them wants more than a friendship.Can Kristie overcome her broken heart to fall for the oldest Gray or will they always be just friends?
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone! This is my new story and I hope you like it! Please let me know what you think!

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I fought back the tears as I lugged up my last couple of boxes into my new home. Well, it's not really a home yet…more of an empty loft, but by the time I get done with the furnishing and decorations it will be _my _home.

_My Home_. I haven't felt at home in almost 5 years. I moved out to Arizona to be closer to my boyfriend of two years. He said he didn't think he could handle our long distance relationship any longer, so I packed up all my belongings from my home state of Alabama, and moved out west. I left my friends, my family, I even had to give my puppy to my brother because I wasn't allowed to take it with me. I had to change schools, make new friends, looks for new hobbies; my life has changed so much since I moved out west but I made sure that _I_ did not. I wasn't going to change for anyone because if they didn't love me for me then I surely did not want to be with them.

My boyfriend dumped me after living together for 2 years. He had the nerve to tell me that he didn't think our personalities were compatible. How dare he say that after 4 years of our relationship? Why did he have to wait so long to tell me, after he wasted so much time; after he made me change my life for him?

I finally made it to the entrance of my loft. I threw down a box of clothing I was carrying and made my way towards the bathroom.

I quietly began to sob into my hands as I sat down on the side of the tub. I've been on an emotional rollercoaster ever since the breakup. At random parts of the day I would just break down and start crying, or if I saw something that reminded me of him, the tears would just come. On the outside I always played it tough, trying to convince my worried friends back home that I was alright, but on the inside I was crying 24/7.

After I was dumped I decided that I wasn't going to stay in the state of Arizona any longer, so I decided to move to California. It's always been my dream to become a song writer, so once I was dumped I decided to take a chance while I was out here anyways.

Once I had cried all the tears that needed to be cried for that moment I decided to wash my face and go back down to my pickup truck to finish unpacking my personal belongings, before the furniture movers got there.

Once I got back to my truck I noticed I only had 2 more boxes left along with my guitar that my brother had given me as a going away present. My ex-boyfriend seemed to always be jealous of my guitar. Every time I sat down to play it, it seemed like he would find his way into the room and try to distract me from playing; but when I wasn't playing, he never paid me any attention.

I groaned as I lifted the two boxes from the bed of my truck. I wished that I could make it all in one trip, but there was definitely no way that would be happening.

"Excuse me, lady, but would you like some help?" I heard someone ask me. I sat the boxes back down where I had just picked them up from and looked down to see a boy around the age of 9 or 10. I smiled warmly at him.

"That's very sweet of you, but these boxes are kinda heavy," I told him kindly.

He pulled up his sleeve and showed me his upper arm, "But I'm pretty strong," he said proudly. I couldn't help but giggle at how cute this boy was. I had to let him help somehow.

"Alright…uh…what's your name, honey?" I asked as I bent down a little.

"I'm Sammie," he said with a smile as he held his hand out to me. I took his small hand and gently shook it.

"Well it's very nice to meet you, Sammie. I'm Kristie," I gently squeezed his hand before I stood back up.

"Do you think you could manage to carry my guitar?" I asked him as I reached over to the other side of my truck for it.

His face lit up, "I carry my brother's a lot!" he said excitedly. At least he's had experience, I laughed to myself. I slowly pulled my guitar over the side of my truck and placed it on the ground next to Sammie. I showed him where the handle was on the case. I watched as he lifted it up with two hands. I couldn't help but smile at how adorable he was.

"Alright, Sammie; my loft is on the second floor, so don't worry, you won't have to carry that for too long," I told him as I picked back up my boxes, and slammed the gate to my truck shut.

"Are you just moving in?" Sammie asked me as we walked along.

"Yes, today is the first day in my new loft," I told him with a smile. We reached a door and he kindly opened it for me.

"Thank you; that was very sweet," I complimented him as we reached the elevator. I sighed with relief as I rested the boxes on the handle inside the elevator. I could tell Sammie was a little relieved to sit down my guitar as well.

The elevator opened on the second floor and I sat down my boxes once more to pull out my key. I opened my door and slid the boxes in with my feet; I was too tired to lean down and pick them up again.

"Wow," I heard Sammie say as he followed me in, "this looks totally different from my brothers' place," he stated as he sat down my guitar.

"Do you live with your brothers?" I asked him curiously. He shook his head.

"No, I live with my mom and dad still, but my older brothers live in the place on the 3rd floor," he told me. I nodded to him.

"Then are you here visiting your brothers?"

"Yes; mom dropped me off and I was on my way up when I saw you," I smiled at how thoughtful this young boy was. Then I realized his brothers must be worried sick about him if they knew he was coming.

"Sammie, did your brothers know that you were coming to visit them?" I asked. He nodded.

"I think so," I quickly walked over to my purse and got a $5 out of my wallet.

"Here you go sweetie, for being such a strong helpful man," I smiled as I watched him blush, "and on your way out I'll have some sweet tea made if you would like to stop by for some," I watched his blush deepen. I couldn't help but giggle on the inside.

"I don't know if my brothers will let me but I'll ask," he smiled shyly.

"Well tell them they're invited too if they'd like," I said as I started to walk to the elevator. I didn't want anything to happen to him.

We said our goodbyes as I watched him get on the elevator. I walked back into my loft and started to unpack my things while I waited on the movers.

I looked around and for the first time really noticed how nice the loft was. Maybe I could get use to living here. One could only hope.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a couple of hours since the movers dropped off my furniture. I sighed as I looked around at all the boxes; all the unpacking I'd have to do. I plugged up my iPod player and decided to get to work.

I had put each box in a certain room; my clothing and personals were in my bedroom, my movies and books were in the living room, etc. I figured that would help a lot with the unpacking. While I was debating on which room to start with I remembered Sammie and his brothers might be coming over soon, so I decided to go with the living room.

While I was unpacking, a song came on my iPod that reminded me of my ex. I was sitting in the floor at the time, putting away some DVDs when I just couldn't hold in the sadness anymore. It was the second time that day that I broken down into sobs. Despite my sadness though, I continued to work. I desperately wanted at least my living room done before I had guests over.

After about an hour I had everything in my living room set up, expect for two bookshelves I wanted to put in the corner. I'd actually have to put them together though, and I wasn't looking forward to that; so I decided to go wash up a little. I washed away the red puffy eyes and tear stains that were running down my cheeks. As I finished washing up I heard a knock at my door. I quickly dried my face and headed for the door.

I opened it to see Sammie standing with an older guy around my age. I smiled warmly at them, "Hey Sammie," I said as I moved aside to let him and his brother in.

"And you are?" I asked as I closed to door behind him. He looked…shocked? Yeah, if I had to pick a word to describe his face, I'd say shocked.

"Um, I'm Jason," he smiled once he snapped back into reality as he gave me his hand. I took it and gently shook it.

"It's very nice to meet you, Jason; I'm Kristie. Would you two like some sweet tea? I just made it not too long ago," I offered them as we all walked into my living room.

"I would love some!" Sammie exclaimed as he sat down on my couch. I couldn't help but laugh slightly at his enthusiasm.

"How about you, Jason, would you like some?" I smiled at him.

"Please? That'd be nice," I couldn't believe what I was hearing. These boys had _manners_. They were the first people I'd met since I moved who had these kinds of manners…especially boys.

"Of course; go ahead, make yourselves at home," I said to Jason as I noticed he was still standing. I looked at Sammie sitting on my couch wearing a smile; he was ahead of the game. Jason shook his head.

"No, I'll help you with the drinks if you don't mind," I laughed quietly as I remembered how determined Sammie was to help me with my boxes earlier.

"So, does chivalry run in your family, Jason?" I asked in a joking manner as we walked into my semi-clean kitchen.

"What do you mean?" he asked me as I got out three glasses.

"Sammie didn't tell you about him carrying my guitar in for me?" I asked shocked. I saw a smile come to his face.

"Oh yeah," he chuckled, "well we try to be polite, but Sammie…well, he is a ladies' man so sometimes he might overdo it a little to try to impress a pretty girl," Jason smiled at me. I fought the urge to scoff. Don't get me wrong, I was flatter that Sammie might have a crush on me, but right now my self esteem was the lowest it's ever been in my entire life, so I wasn't in the mood to take compliments. I didn't want to seem rude though, so I forced a smile back.

I poured all the glasses and handed Jason his, "Thanks," he said as he placed his hand around the glass before mine had left it. Our hands briefly met before I pulled mine away, "Sorry," I mumbled as I looked down to grab the other two glasses.

"It's alright," I heard him say in a confused voice as we both walked back into the living room where Sammie was waiting.

"Here you go, Sammie," I said with a smile as I handed him his tea. Jason sat down on his brother's right said while I sat on the left. I watched as both brothers took a sip of my tea.

"This is awesome!" Sammie complimented my tea. I couldn't help but laugh, "This is gonna sound cheesy, but it's a secrete family recipe," I smiled at Sammie.

"Well then we must come by more often, because this is really good," Jason said sincerely. This time I couldn't help but give a true smile.

"I would love that. I just moved here and I don't know anyone. I would enjoy the company," I told them honestly.

"If you don't mind me asking, what brought you to California?" Jason asked. I took a deep breath; I wasn't about to tell them about being dumped, but I had to calm myself so the tears wouldn't come anyways.

"Well you know how people come to California because they want to be famous? An actor, a singer," for some reason the mention becoming a singer made Jason look uncomfortable, "well I want to become a song writer. I want to be the person behind the fame," I told them with a small smile.

"Hey! Jason can," Sammie started but was soon cut off, "Sammie, I think moms outside," Jason said quickly.

"But I didn't," Sammie started again, "Please excuse us for one moment," Jason said as he and his brother walked into the kitchen. I know it was rude of me, but I tried to listen in on their conversation. Unfortunately I couldn't hear anything, but they soon returned.

"I'm sorry Kristie, but my mom's here to get me," Sammie looked truly sad. I bent down to give him a hug.

"Its ok honey, feel free to come by anytime," I told him sincerely. As we pulled away I saw a slight blush come across his face.

"Would it be alright if Jason stayed? My other two brothers were out, and he was bored out of his mind when I got there," he asked as we walked to the door. I held in a small laugh.

"Of course he can; as a matter of fact I'd really like it if he would," he said while giving Sammie another goodbye hug then looking up at Jason. He smiled, "I'll be right back then. I'm just gonna walk him out to the car," he said as he put on a pair of sunglasses he had in his pocket.

"Sure, just come on in when you get back," I said with a smile as I watched the two brothers walk out. I could tell we were all going to be great friends.


	3. Chapter 3

I quickly washed Sammie's glass while his brother walked him to their mother's car. Once I finished I walked back into the living room and waited on Jason to return. I barely knew him and his brother but I already really liked them. They had manners, they were helpful, and from what I knew about them they were very kind.

I sat down on the floor in front of the boxes for my bookcases and used a kitchen knife to cut open the top. I mindlessly set down the knife next to me as I ripped open the box. I could hear the door open behind me, "What are you doing?" I heard Jason ask me as he walked over to me.

I looked up just as he was sitting down. "I was just opening this up while you were gone. I wanted to see how hard it would be to put together," I laughed quietly. Although I lived with my brother and dad my entire life before moving to Arizona I had no idea how to put stuff like this together, but how hard could it be?

"Do you know where to start?" Jason asked in a teasing voice as he looked at the directions. I laughed harder, "No clue." Jason laughed as he began pulling out the parts of my bookcases.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I looked around at the mess he was making.

"Well, if you don't have a clue about even where to start, then I'd say you _might_ need some help," he said with a charming smile. I could feel a slight twinge at my heart. His smile reminded me of my ex, but I quickly chose to ignore it. How could I possibly make friends if I just cried over my ex the entire time; especially around guy friends?

"You don't have to do this, you know. You are my _guest_," I reminded him. I didn't want him to associate coming to see me with having to work. I wanted him to enjoy coming to see me. I wanted him and me to be friends.

"Well I guess it's just the chivalry in my blood," he joked about our earlier conversation. I smiled softly at him. I now knew he really was a good guy, but at the same time I had a small voice screaming at me in my head. Sure, they _all _start off nice, but friend or not they'll still find a way to hurt you.

"Kristie?" I suddenly heard Jason say my name while looking me in the eyes. He had snapped me out of my thoughts.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" he looked relieved about something as I answered him.

"Daydreaming about me?" he asked with a smirk and a small laugh. I gasped and gently smacked his arm.

"Psh, you wish," I laughed out. He just smiled at me before speaking, "As I was saying, do you have any tools?" he asked while looking down at the directions again.

"Yeah, I'll go get them," I told him as I went to get the tools I had just put up in the kitchen cupboard. I came back with my toolbox and sat back in the floor. As I placed my hand down beside me for support, I felt something sharp against the palm of my hand. I quickly pulled back my hand only to see that I had sliced it open with the knife I had used earlier. I gasped in horror as I watched the injury rapidly start to bleed.

"What's wrong?" I heard Jason ask as he looked up from my toolbox. I watched as his face filled with worry as he saw the blood pouring from my hand.

"Do you have a first aid kit?" he asked, I could tell he was trying not to panic. I took a deep breath trying to calm myself while I nodded.

"Yeah, under the kitchen sink," I whispered in a shaky voice before Jason took off running into the kitchen. The site of blood made me a little nauseous, so much so that one time I actually fainted.

Jason came running back and plopped down in front of me on his knees as he softly took my hand into his. I watched as he took a wet washrag and gently wiped the blood from my hand. Once the excess blood was gone, he pushed my fingers around the washrag making me form a fist.

"Now hold on tightly to that while I find some bandages," he told me softly. Despite the pain I felt in my hand I had to fight the urge not to smile. For some reason I was happy, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I sat there lost in my thoughts as I watched Jason go through the first aid kit, until suddenly it hit me…

Jason barely knows me, but yet he's showing more concern for me than my ex had in the last 6 months of our relationship. If I would have sliced my hand open in front of him the only concern he'd have is that I didn't bleed on the carpet. I struggled with the tears that I could feel burning my eyes once more.

Jason finally found some bandages, and as he turned back to me he could tell I was holding back tears.

"Aw, Kristie, I know it hurts. You can cry in front of me, it's ok," he said with a gentle smile. I let out a small chuckle as one tear fell down my face. I was relieved that he thought I was crying over the physical pain.

"Ok, now this might sting a little," he warned me softly as he put some antiseptic cream on the open wound. I let out a small whimper as I inhaled deeply.

"You know, you're handling this a lot better than most girls would," he complimented me, only causing me to laugh a little more.

"Um, thank you?" I said with a smile as another tear fell, this time it was from the burning sensation that was coming from my hand. "I'm trying to take your mind off the pain," Jason explained to me, "talking always seems to be the best way. So, tell me where you're from. I know it has to be somewhere from the southeast because of your accent and the amazing sweet tea you made," he said as he looked into my eyes with that grin that I was becoming all too familiar with. I couldn't hide my blush, but I figured I could play that off since I was bleeding and somewhat crying.

"I'm actually from Alabama," I said with a tiny sigh. "Do you miss it?" Jason asked me as he started to open the bandages.

"Terribly, everything is so different out here. Back home I lived in a small town where everyone knew everybody, it was safe for girls to be out late with their friends, and we never had any traffic," I joked, trying to calm myself down.

"How long have you been away from home?" Jason asked as he opened my hand and turned it palm-side up.

"Uh, well…I lived in Arizona the past two years…" I gasped and quickly pulled my hand away. Jason had begun wrapping it and it was way too tight. He softly took my hand back into both of his. "I'm sorry Kristie, but I have to wrap it tight enough so I can stop the blood flow. Just concentrate on talking to me," he said with an apologetic smile.

I took a deep breath as he tightened the bandage again, "…and today is my first day living in California," I finished through gritted teeth.

"Do you like it here?" he asked as he looked up from my hand. At first I thought he was joking, since I just told him I'd only been here a day, but he was serious.

I smiled softly, "Well, I have met two amazing brothers who are pretty much the nicest people I've met since I moved out west," I winked at Jason, and for a second I think I saw him blush, "so I'm gonna say yes. I like it here so far," I confirmed with a smile. I loved being around this guy; this was the most I've smiled since I don't even remember.

"Good, I'm glad; and you know, you haven't even met my other two brothers," Jason said with a small chuckle. I then remembered Sammie said he had 'brothers' as in more than one.

"How many of you are there?" I asked in a joking manner as Jason finished off my hand.

"There's me, I'm the oldest; then Shane, Nate, and Sammie," he said as started to clean up the mess from the first aid kit. For some reason I got the feeling that he was trying to avoid eye contact with me, but I shrugged it off for the time being.

"Now that you're all bandaged up," he started once he looked back at me, "you can watch me build your bookcases, with my awesome craftsman's skills," he boasted as he cracked his knuckles. This time I had to hold in the giggle, but my face gave me away.

"What you don't think I can do it?" he asked with determination in his voice. I smiled softly, "I think you can do it, Jason, but it was just the way you said it," I reassured him.

"And Jason, I can't ask you to do that for me. You've already done enough for me today," I said as I held up my injured hand.

"Don't worry about it. I'll do it while we talk some more, and besides…how hard could it be?"


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everyone! Since y'all are being so amazing and supportive I decided to go ahead and upload two chapters in one day! =D And one more thing; I want to give a special shout out to all my loyal reviewers: Ace12, Cariad1987, Kadence1, and ThatsNoneofYourBusiness. Thank y'all so much and I love y'all!

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It had been about two hours since Jason started building my bookcases. He was having a little more trouble than either one of us expected, and I felt horrible because he wouldn't let me help at all; even with my good hand. On the plus side though, I had found out a lot about him and his family. I had found out that he was exactly 4 months older than me, history was both of ours favorite subject in school, and to top it all off he was religious; so much so that he wore a purity ring. I could almost feel my heart melting as I got to know him more and more.

"Favorite hobby?" it was his turn to ask a question, as he looked once more at the directions for the bookcases.

"Hm…I can't decide between playing my guitar or playing volleyball; but I'm much better at volleyball than my guitar," I laughed. I had only been playing my guitar for a couple of months, but I knew enough that I could use it while I wrote lyrics. I could see Jason stiffen a little from the joke about my guitar. I wondered why he was so uncomfortable about that. Maybe it wasn't about the guitar at all; maybe he had a traumatic incident while playing volleyball before…nah that's dumb.

"What about yours?" I asked as he put down the sheet of paper that was in front of him.

"I like bowling," he sighed out. I could tell he was getting frustrated, and I tried not to laugh, but it was just so adorable how determined he was.

"Jason, why don't you take a break or something? Heck, you don't even have to do this, you know," I reminded him as he plopped down on the couch next to me.

"It wouldn't be so hard if these directions were actually in English," he complained as he showed me the sheet he'd been looking at for two hours.

While I was looking over the paper, Jason's phone rang. I recognized the song immediately; it was by John Mayer. I _loved _John Mayer, so that was another thing we had in common.

I was pulled from my thoughts by Jason's voice, "Kristie, would you mind if my brothers came over? They're just getting home, and I'm sure they'd love to meet you," he said as he held the phone away from him.

I smiled; I could only hope that they would be as wonderful as Jason was. "Of course they can," I told him as I went back to looking at the directions. They had diagrams, but I couldn't understand a word that was written on there. Surely they had the English version somewhere.

"See," Jason said as he hung up the phone, "I'm not stupid or anything, I just can't read Spanish," Jason whined. I laughed and gently patted his arm.

"It's ok, Jason. I'll get it, one way or another, those bookcases are going up right there," I said as I pointed to the corner of the living room.

"No, _you _will not get it with your hand in that condition. _I _willget it," he said as he snatched the paper away from me.

"Hey! Give that back!" I exclaimed as I reached across Jason to try to take it back from him. He only held it farther away from me. "I don't think so!" he yelled as he slid out from under me then jumped up from the couch.

"Jasonnn," I whined, "Give it backkk," I followed him. I started having flashbacks to my childhood when my brother did this to me all the time. I thought these days were over once my brother hit puberty, but I guess not.

Just as luck would have it, we heard a knock at my door. I was going to take the opportunity to take the directions back, but Jason never took his eyes off me. I glared at him before I stomped towards the door. I could hear him chuckling in the background.

I opened the door to see two younger versions of Jason; only one had straight hair and the other had curly, just like Jason's.

"Hi," I smiled at them, "you two must be Shane and Nate?" I asked. They both gave each other a look that I couldn't describe before smiling at me, "I'm Shane," he said as he stuck out his hand; "And I'm Nate," he said after I shook Shane's hand.

"It's nice to meet you two," I said after I finished shaking Nate's hand, "I'm Kristie by the way. Come on in; Jason's already in there…slowly going insane," I muttered the last part under my breath. I could hear Nate laugh quietly.

"Don't worry, that happened quite a long time ago," he whispered to me as I shut the door. I couldn't help but laugh. I hadn't known these guys longer than a minute and I already liked them.

"Nate, Shane, would you two like something to drink?" I asked, trying to be a polite hostess. "No thank you," Nate said. "No I'm good," Shane said as he shook his head.

"Jason…would you like something?" I asked as I walked back over towards him. He gave me a triumphant smile before kindly rejecting.

"So, what have you two been up to?" Shane asked as he sat down in a chair across from the couch. I couldn't help but grin.

"Well, earlier Jason and Sammie came over for some sweet tea, and after Sammie left, Jason offered to put together my bookcases," I glanced over at Jason sitting in the floor again and just starting to put random pieces together.

"And how long has he been going at that?" Shane asked me quietly.

"About two hours," I giggled. Nate overheard us talking.

"Dude! You've been working on that for two hours?" Nate asked. The teasing was coming…I could feel it.

"Ok, the directions are in Spanish!" Jason defended himself, while the pieces he had put together suddenly fell apart. He groaned in frustration as he laid back in the floor.

"So, you're telling me the box didn't come with English directions?" Nate asked as he walked over to the boxes.

"None," Jason said as he closed his eyes trying to calm himself.

Nate started going through the other box that neither Jason nor I touched. I watched as Nate pulled out another packet of directions from the bottom of the box…and here comes the teasing.

"So…Jase…didn't think to look in the _other _box did ya?" Nate said as he held up the English directions. I watched as Jason quickly sat up and let out another loud groan.

"Only Jase would try to read the Spanish directions before looking in the other box for English ones," Shane said from across the room.

"Well who puts the English directions in a totally different box from the Spanish ones?!" Jason whined as he laid back down in the floor.

"In Jason's defense," I piped up, "I didn't think to look in the other box either," I said, feeling like a dunce.

"Well that's understandable…you're a _girl_," Shane said without thinking.

"_Excuse me?_" I said as I turned to look at him. He blushed, "Sorry," he mumbled out. I had to fight with myself to not laugh, so instead I turned my attention back towards Nate and Jason.

"Alright, now that we have the English directions," Nate stated seriously as he glanced at his oldest brother, "let's build us some bookcases."


	5. Chapter 5

I felt even more awful than before. It was getting late and I had three boys working on building my bookcases for me, although it was going pretty fast with all of them working together, but it was still getting late. I went into the kitchen and poured all three of them a glass of sweet tea. When I returned, the cases were finally finished.

"Here you go, boys," I told them as I passed them their glasses. "Sorry Jason, I don't have my coffee pot unpacked yet," I told him. Earlier today he told me how much he loved coffee and I wished I had some for him, but right now all I had was water or my tea.

"Oh man, this is good," Nate said after his first sip. I smiled proudly. "Yeah, we are most definitely coming over here more," I laughed remembering that was pretty much exactly what Jason had said.

"Thanks guys; just using me for my tea," I joked as I sat down on the floor. Jason and Nate were resting on the couch while Shane was sitting in the chair across from them.

"Don't sit in the floor, Kristie, there's plenty of room here between us," Jason said as he scooted over, making more room for me. I smiled kindly at him.

"It's ok. I don't want to make y'all feel crowded or anything," I said right before Jason stood up. "Well here, take my seat," Jason offered causing me to blush.

"Jason, how many times must I tell you? You are my _guest_; so sit back down," I ordered him. He sat back down, but not on the couch. He sat down in the floor right next to me.

"If you won't sit there then nobody will," he stated stubbornly. I crossed my arms, "That's fine with me," I said just as stubbornly. "Fine!" he retorted. I heard a groan come from the other side of the room.

"I'll sit there if you two will just stop!" Shane said frustrated as he moved to the empty spot on the couch.

"You're a little late, Shane. We already stopped," I pointed out with a proud smile on my face.

"Yeah, dude; pay attention," Jason said agreeing with me. I turned back towards Jason and smiled at him. He returned my smile.

I then looked around at the boys; they all looked pretty tired. I had to do something to make this up to them.

"Thank y'all so much for doing this for me," I told them sincerely. They all smiled at me, "It's no problem, Kristie," Nate said kindly. "Yeah, it's nothing; don't worry about it," Shane piped up.

"Well it's something to me; and poor Jason's been working on it almost all day," I said with a smirk as I gently patted his back.

"Ha ha," he said in a sarcastic tone.

"But seriously though, thank you so much. I want to do something for y'all; make it up to you. How about tomorrow night y'all come over for dinner? I'll cook something; whatever y'all want," I offered.

"No, we couldn't; just consider this as a 'Welcome to the Neighborhood' present," Nate said in a joking tone, but still wearing a serious face.

"No, I insist," I told them firmly.

"Well it would be nice to have a home cooked meal," Shane thought it over out loud.

"Then it's settled!" I said before Jason could pipe up to reject, "tomorrow night y'all will come over for dinner. Do you know what y'all would like?" I asked them, having no idea what they would eat or not. I knew a lot of people out west were vegetarians. There's nothing wrong with that or anything, but we had very, _very _few of them back home in Alabama.

"Anything you cook would be fine," Jason said kindly. I rolled my eyes.

"Fine," I sighed, "but is there anything that any of you will _not _eat?" I asked figuring that would be easier.

"Liver and onions," Shane warned. I laughed, "Don't worry, I wouldn't eat that either. How about chicken?" Almost everyone I knew loved chicken.

"Sounds good," Nate said as he put his glass of tea down.

"Around six o' clock then?" I asked Jason this time.

"Sounds perfect," he smiled kindly at me while looking into my eyes. I don't think I noticed before how sparkly his brown eyes were…I quickly shook myself out of the trance I was falling into.

"I want to thank you the most, Jason," I whispered to him as I scooted closer so he could hear me. "You spent so much time working on those cases for me…and you took care of my hand," I paused as I looked down at my bandaged hand, "thank you, so much," I told him seriously.

"It's nothing, really. I'm just glad you're alright," he said softly as he took my hand to look at it. There were faint red marks where the blood had seeped through but other than that it was fine.

"Alright you two kids," Nate said as he stood up casing Jason and I to both pull our hands away from each other, "I think we should be heading out and let Kristie finish settling in."

"Yeah, and plus she has to get ready for dinner tomorrow night," Shane said, only to be smacked by his younger brother. I couldn't help but laugh at them. They were the kind of people I could definitely see myself being good friends with.

Jason stood up then offered me his hands. I showed him my bandaged hand to remind him that he shouldn't pull me up that way; so he walked behind me and bent down; I could feel his hands on my waist as he pulled me up. I couldn't help but let out a little squeal as I quickly flew up to land on my feet. I could hear all the boys laughing at me as I looked at the floor and blushed.

"Aw, it's ok Krissy," Shane said in a baby voice as he patted my back, "it was cute," he finished only causing me to blush more.

I cleared my throat, trying to get over the embarrassing scene, "Anywaysss," I said still feeling my cheeks burning, "I'll see you guys tomorrow; six o'clock," I told them as I walked them to my door.

"It was nice meeting you," Nate said as he gave me a hug; the other two boys followed suit. It was so weird; I forgot that I had _just _met these boys today. It felt like I've known them my entire life.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Jason said with his charming smile. I couldn't help but smile back, "See you tomorrow," I said as I slowly closed the door.

Once the boys left, I quickly went to work on unpacking the rest of my things. I wanted my place to be in tip top shape tomorrow when I had them over again.

It took me almost all night, but I got almost everything done. Once I hit my bed, I started falling into sleep immediately, but right before I slipped into the darkness, I noticed this was the first time since my breakup that I didn't cry myself to sleep.

And right then and there I said a quick prayer to God…thanking him for my new friends that I made.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I was down at the river and computerless, but anyways thank you for all the reviews! I love reading them and they just make my day =) Love y'all!

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I had spent all day getting ready for the boys to come over tonight. I had been so busy that I hadn't even had time to think about my ex, which I was so grateful for. The boys were helping me get over him, and they didn't even know it. The entire day, I had been unpacking, cleaning, grocery shopping, setting things up, and I loved every minute of it. I had even made a special playlist on my iPod, so I had some non-lovey dovey songs to listen to while I worked.

Around 5, it was time for me to start cooking the dinner. I decided on fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, and salad. That was my favorite meal from when I was younger; my mom would cook it at least once a week…before she passed away.

I had some time between cooking so I used it to alternate between setting up the dinner table and getting ready. It was a little difficult between applying makeup and making sure the chicken didn't burn, but I survived like a pro. Within an hour I had the entire meal cooked and managed to change my clothes and put on my makeup.

Finally, right when I started putting the plates out on the table, I heard a musical knock at my door. I laughed to myself as I tried to guess which brother had knocked. I headed to the door, wiping my non-injured hand on my apron the entire way, and opened it to find all three boys standing in a row with smiles on their faces. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight as I welcomed them in.

"Hey Kristie," Nate greeted me with a quick hug, followed by Shane, "Krissy!" he exclaimed as he hugged me and patted my back, and finally Jason, "Hey, how's your hand?" he asked softly while giving me a gentle hug. "It's alright, it only hurts when I clean it," I said as we pulled away and walked inside. I loved how each boy had their own way of greeting me. It seemed to match their personality perfectly. Nate was cool and calm, Shane…well that was pretty obvious, and Jason was sweet and gentle.

"Something smells good," Shane said as he walked towards the kitchen. I laughed as I walked next to Jason, following the other two boys.

"Make yourselves at home, guys; dinner's almost done. What would you like to drink? I have water, tea, or coffee," I had forgotten to buy cokes while I was out grocery shopping. Nate and Shane sat down in the living room, while Jason still stood next to me.

"Wow, big selection," Shane joked only to be hit by Nate. I had only known them two days, and I could tell this was a normal occurrence.

"Sweet tea's fine," Nate said for both himself and his brother. I turned to face Jason, "And for you, sir?" I asked in the tone of a waitress, as I pretended to be writing down their orders. He rolled his eyes and laughed, "I'll get it in the kitchen when I help you," he said as he pointed at my hand. I couldn't help but rolls my eyes.

"Now Jason, I've been working on this meal all day with one hand; I think I can manage to get a couple drinks by myself," I said while putting my good hand on my hip.

"Ok fine, maybe I just like your company," he admitted while putting both hands on his hips, imitating me. This time I couldn't help but smile.

"Ok, ok; I guess I can't get mad at you for that," I laughed quietly as we both walked to the kitchen.

"Will you pour the drinks while I put the food on the table?" I asked Jason. He smiled, "Finally you're letting me do something. See it's not so hard is it?" he joked as he began pouring the glasses. I stood there, glaring at him until he saw my face and stuck his tongue out at me; I couldn't pretend to be angry after that.

Jason put the glasses on the table while I set the food in the middle. I walked into the living room to see Shane and Nate watching some TV.

"Dinner time boys," I called as they muted the TV and got up. "Just take a seat anywhere," I told them as they sat around my small "dining room" table. I sat in between Shane and Jason, while I had Nate in front of me. After Nate had said a quick prayer out loud, I ordered the boys to help themselves.

"This is food is delicious, Kristie," Nate complimented me. I couldn't help but smile softly at him, "Thank you."

"Yeah, will adopt us and cook for us every night?" Shane asked while batting his eyelashes at me. I laughed awkwardly, "How about every time I cook I just invite y'all over for dinner?" I suggested.

"Oh no, you'd get tired of us," Jason said almost seriously. "Jason," I said as I placed my hand gently on his arm, "y'all are my only friends I have here. There's a chance y'all might get on my nerves," I said with a small laugh, "but I won't get tired of y'all," I told him seriously. He smiled softly at me.

"So, Krissy," Shane started, "why did you move out here?"

"Well…uh…it's my dream to become a song writer, so I figured California would be the best place to try," I told them, once again leaving out the part of me being dumped by some jerk. It was silent for a moment as I looked around at the boys; they were all looking at their plates until Nate spoke up.

"So just randomly one day you were like, 'I'm going to move to California'?" Nate asked as he was the first one to look up from his plate. I sighed softly. I was going to have to tell them.

"Well," I took a deep breath, "I moved out to Arizona first…for a boy," I mumbled angrily, "lived there two years…then…he dumped me; so I decided since I was already out west to just go ahead and move to California," I finished, trying not to let my voice quiver. This time it was my turn to look down at my plate.

"I'm sorry," I heard Jason whisper next to me. I could feel tears coming to my eyes. "Um, excuse me for a moment," I whispered as I got up and quickly walked out of the room. I wasn't about to cry in front of my new friends.

I walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. I took deep breaths as I tried to regain my composure. I was trying to take my mind off my ex and the mistake that I had made by moving to Arizona. I decided to watch the TV for a couple of moments before heading back to dinner.

I turned up the volume to find that some celebrity gossip show was on. I was never really in to looking into celebrity gossip or anything. I just listened to music and if I liked it then that's good, but if not then I didn't give it a second thought.

"Are you ok, Kristie?" I heard a voice as me from across the room. I looked up to see Jason walking over towards me. He sat down and gently rubbed my back.

"Yeah, just talking about my ex gets me a little emotional still, so I decided to come in here to calm down a little," I said as I pointed to the TV with the remote. Right then when both Jason and I looked up…

I had to do a double take. Jason and his brothers were on TV! It showed a clip of an interview before flashing a clip of them performing a live concert. Shane and Nate were singing, while Jason was playing a guitar.

I looked back at Jason…he was awkwardly looking down at his hands that he had clasped in front of him, before he looked back up at me with fear in his eyes. I couldn't believe this. How could he not tell me?

"Who are you?" I asked appalled, as I stood up to get away from him. I clearly had no clue who he was, and man did I feel dumb.


	7. Chapter 7

I stood there, angrily waiting for an answer. I thought I was having dinner with three normal guys who were my new friends…not some kind of celebrities.

"What's going on in here?" I heard behind me. I turned around to see Nate and Shane walk into the room. I furiously pointed to the TV, "Explain that to me!" I yelled at them. A look of shock came across their faces as they moved over to their brother and sat down next to him.

"Kristie, please let me explain," Jason said softly. I looked into his eyes soft brown eyes and I could see he was truly upset about this whole ordeal. I took a breath to calm myself as I sat down in the chair across from them.

"Explain," I said softly. I noticed a look of relief came across all their faces, but Jason still seemed a little stressed.

"Well…my brothers and I…we're in a band," Jason said softly. I scoffed, "No duh, I kinda got that part from the TV," I didn't know why I was being so rude…I just felt so…betrayed.

"Kristie, we're sorry we didn't tell you, but try to look at it from our point of view; we _never _get to be ourselves around anyone. We're always know as _Connect 3_; never just Jason, Shane, and Nate. It was refreshing to meet someone who didn't know us right off the bat, it gave us a chance to be ourselves and for someone to really like us, not just for our fame or music, but for _us_ as people," Nate said softly.

"But I thought we were friends? Isn't that something you would kinda mention to a friend? I mean, I was going to find out sooner or later," I said, not so much angry anymore; just…sad. Now I felt like they didn't trust me.

"We knew you were going to find out, and _we_ wanted to be the ones to tell you, but it's just…we just met and we liked you just wanting to be around us because of who we are…not what we do," Shane said seriously. I think it was one of the only times I've ever seen him be serious.

"We just wanted you to get to know the real us before we told you," Jason said while looking me in the eyes. For some reason, I felt like I couldn't be mad at them any longer. Who could blame them? That must be a horrible feeling, never knowing if the people around you really liked you for you, or for your fame.

"Well I do know the real you," I smiled softly at them, "and y'all are pretty much the most wonderful people I've met in a very long time."

"So you're not mad at us anymore?" Nate asked hesitantly. My smile grew a little wider now.

"Of course not," I said as I got up to walk over to them. "Group hug!" Shane yelled as they stood up and gave me a hug. I couldn't help but laugh now. Although I was furious at first, now I truly felt like we were best friends. It was true, there was still plenty I did not know about these guys, but that didn't matter. Everything would come out in time.

"Now," Shane started as we all pulled away, "can we get back to eating? I think our food is getting cold," he said as he booked it towards the dining room. Nate laughed at his brother as he followed suit, but Jason didn't budge.

"Come on, Jason, you're food is getting cold," I joked as I gently pulled his arm. He didn't smile. This worried me a little; Jason always smiled when we played around.

"What's wrong?" I asked worriedly. Jason gently took my good hand into his and sat back down on the couch, pulling me along with him.

"Kristie, I really am sorry we didn't tell you," Jason started, but I cut him off by putting my index finger in front of his lips. "Its water under the bridge, honey," I said as I patted his knee. This time he smiled at me; lifting a weight off my shoulders. For some reason, I couldn't bare it to see this guy sad. He was just too sweet of a person; it would break my heart to see him upset.

"Alright, now I guess we can go back to dinner," Jason laughed softly.

Now we were all back at the dinner table and luckily our food hadn't gotten too cold to eat. Everything seemed to be going much better than before. They seemed to know not to bring up my ex, and I knew not to bring up their careers.

"So, Kristie, what kind of music do you write?" Jason asked me curiously.

"Well before it was more country music, but now since I'm in California I guess I should focus on a pop style," I said mindlessly; I was thinking more to myself than anything.

"Yeah, if you wanted to write country, Nashville would have been a better place," Nate said, as we were finishing up dinner.

"You know, you should play some of your music for us," Shane said excitedly, like the idea just hit him.

"Yeah, we could probably find someone to give your music to," Jason said kindly.

"Oh no; I couldn't. We're just normal friends; I don't want anything to do with your careers. I always want our friendship to come first," I told them truthfully. This is what they wanted; they wanted a normal life, and if I was a true friend to them then that's what I'd give them.

"Oh come on, just play something for us?" Nate asked.

"Yeah; you'd play for your friends back home wouldn't you?" Shane asked. I laughed uncomfortably.

"Yeah but that's different. I never played anyone one of my songs before; just some songs I know," I said nervously.

"Well there's a first time for everything," Jason said with a smile on his face.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys! Just wanted to say I don't own the song thats in this chapter; it's by Jessica Andrews and called 'Who I Am'

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"Come on, Kristie," Shane whined as he handed me my guitar. We had just finished dinner right before the boys rushed me into the living room wanting to hear one of my songs. The only songs I've ever written were about my ex who was my current boyfriend at the time they were written. I only had one song that wasn't inspired by him, and I had written it a couple years ago after my mother died.

"Guys, I don't know. I don't really have any new songs," I tried to warn them. I had sat down on the sofa chair across from the couch where they all were sitting.

"That's fine; just play us an old one," Nate said like it was nothing. I sighed, right before giving up I remembered my hand. Maybe since I couldn't play the guitar because of my hand I wouldn't have to do this at all.

"Aw shucks; my hand," I held it up quickly, "I can't play, which means no song tonight," I said in a fake depressed voice.

"Luckily we have a _world famous_ guitarist in the house, ladies and gentlemen; thank you, thank you" Jason said as he held up his hands, pretending to accept a standing ovation or something. He came over to me and gently took the guitar out of my hands.

"Just tell me the basics and I'll be able to pick it up pretty fast," he said as he sat down on the arm of my chair. I groaned. Of course the first people who listen to one of my songs are in a freaking world famous band…that's just my luck.

"Just to let you know, this is like one of my first songs I ever wrote," I warned them again. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach getting so bad it was almost making me sick.

"If you're so nervous about it, why don't you sing one of your newer ones?" Shane asked picking up on my nervousness.

"Uh…my newer ones are all about my ex…I wrote them while we were dating. I think I'm gonna start writing some new ones tonight after y'all leave about my current situation. It helps with the venting," I said, trying not to let myself get upset. The boys just nodded.

"Ok, so how does it start out?" Jason asked while looking down at me.

"It starts out with a G, then C, then Cadd9…" we went over the song for about 5 minutes before Jason picked it up completely. I was so jealous.

"Alright, now that we got that down, you ready for the lyrics?" Shane asked in almost a teasing voice. I think if I would have had something in my hand…I most definitely would have thrown it at him.

"One more thing…I'm not the best singer in the world. Remember I want to be a writer, not a performer," I warned them one last time.

"Oh please, Kristie, you'll be fine," Nate said with a soft smile. At the moment, I liked him much more than Shane.

"Yeah, just close your eyes and pretend we're not even here," Jason said as he slowly started to play the intro to the song. I loved hearing the familiar chords that my brother had written so long ago…I closed my eyes as I softly began to sing.

"If I live to be a hundred  
And never see the seven wonders  
That'll be alright  
If I don't make it to the big leagues  
If I never win a Grammy  
I'm gonna be just fine  
'Cause I know exactly who I am

I am Rosemary's granddaughter  
The spitting image of my father  
And when the day is done  
My momma's still my biggest fan  
Sometimes I'm clueless and I'm clumsy  
But I've got friends who love me  
And they know just where I stand  
It's all a part of me  
And that's who I am

So when I make big mistake  
When I fall flat on my face  
I know I'll be alright  
Should my tender heart be broken  
I will cry those teardrops knowin'  
I will be just fine  
'Cause nothin' changes who I am

I am Rosemary's granddaughter  
The spitting image of my father  
And when the day is done  
My momma's still my biggest fan  
Sometimes I'm clueless and I'm clumsy  
But I've got friends who love me  
And they know just where I stand  
It's all a part of me  
And that's who I am

I'm a saint and I'm a sinner  
I'm a loser, I'm a winner  
I'm am steady and unstable  
I am young but I'm able

I am Rosemary's granddaughter  
The spitting image of my father  
And when the day is done  
My momma's still my biggest fan  
Sometimes I'm clueless and I'm clumsy  
But I've got friends who love me  
And they know just where I stand  
It's all a part of me  
And that's who I am"

It was so weird; the emotion that had come over me while I was singing…I had gotten so into it that I forgot all about the boys who were listening to me. I had choked up one time, around the broken hearted section, but I quickly brushed it off. Once the song ended I opened my eyes to see them all smiling at me.

"Wow, that was awesome," Shane said, truly complimenting me. I couldn't help but blush. "Thanks," I mumbled out.

"How old were you when you wrote that?" Nate asked curiously.

"Well it started out as a diary entry after my mother passed away a _long_ time ago; and one day I had left my diary open and my brother say it. He thought it'd make a good song, so he wrote the music for it, I changed a few words around and bam, we had a song," I smiled reminiscing the good times I had with my brother.

"Will you tell us when you write a new one? We'd really love to hear it," Jason asked as he sat my guitar back in its stand.

"Sure, if you want," I said, trying to hide my surprise. I was honored that they wanted to hear another song by me; amazed, really.

"Yeah we'd love…" suddenly in the middle of Nate's sentence, a sharp jolt caused my room to shake…


	9. Chapter 9

Jason lost his balance and fell down on his way back to his seat, as the two other boys grabbed onto the couch. I quickly grabbed onto my chair for dear life. The jolt didn't last long, but there were some small shakes followed, and eventually they stopped. It seemed as soon as the shakes started…it was over.

"What's was that?" I asked in a panic voice. This has never happened to me before. I didn't let go of the death grip I had on my chair.

"_That _was an earthquake," Nate said as he placed my plastic flower vase back onto the table. "An earthquake?" I asked, astonished. I had always heard California had earthquakes, but I couldn't believe it. My second day living in the state, and I experienced my first earthquake.

Jason had gotten up from the floor and quickly walked over to me. "Are you ok, Kristie?" he asked as he gently placed his hand on my back. I had to admit, I was a little shaken up.

"Uh, just…I've always heard about earthquakes, just never thought I'd experience one," I let out a dry laugh.

"Aw that was your first one? Congratulations! We're glad we were here to experience it with you," Shane joked. At this point I was too shaken up to yell or glare at him.

"Does this happen often?" I asked while Jason rubbed my back. "Lately we've had a few more than usual, but if anything ever bigger than that happens do you know what to do?" Jason asked me softly.

"Uhh, stand in a doorway?" I asked. I honestly didn't have a clue, the only thing I knew about earthquakes is what I saw on TV. I could hear Jason let out a small chuckle, "Yes that's good, or get under a sturdy table or something, and stay away from glass," he warned me. I nodded along as I listened intently. It was almost like what to do during a tornado, expect for the standing in the doorway thing.

"We should probably head up to our place to make sure none of our stuff was damaged," Nate said as he stood up. I understood his reasoning for leaving, but I wish they wouldn't leave so soon; after all I just went through my first earthquake _ever_.

"Would you like Jason to stay with you, Kristie?" Shane asked kindly. I think he could tell that I was still a little uneasy. I loved how despite his little jokes every now and then, Shane knew when to be serious.

"No, it's alright; y'all go," I said with a fake smile as I stood up with them to walk them towards the door. I could feel Jason's hand at the small of my back, "Are you sure you don't want me to stay? I don't mind," he whispered in my ear as we reached the door.

"It's fine, thank you though. I'm just gonna clean up a little bit, work on my music, then probably head to bed," I told him as I opened the door for the guys.

"Thanks for dinner, Krissy," Shane said as he hugged me. I smiled at him, "Yeah it was delicious," Nate said as they walked outside the door. "And remember, if you need us, we're just right upstairs," Jason said as he gave me a hug.

"Thanks guy, but don't worry about me," I lied through my teeth. I was too prideful to ask any of them to stay, especially Jason after everything he's done for me. "I hope to see y'all soon?" I asked more than demanded. They all smiled.

"Of course! Maybe tomorrow you can come check out our pad," Shane said. I nodded before all the guys gave me their last goodbye hugs. "See ya later," Nate said; and with one last wave from Shane and worried look from Jason, they were gone.

I sighed as I walked into the kitchen, turned on my iPod and started washing the dishes. Luckily for me, nothing was broken during the earthquake; it just made a little mess with stuff falling everywhere.

It didn't take too long to clean up, maybe about an hour, but soon I was in my comfy bed working on some new lyrics.

I started out trying to write about my ex, but every time I tried to write something mean…my heart wouldn't allow it. Sure I was mad at him for breaking up with me after all the time we spent, but deep down…I think I'm still in love with him. No that can't be true. I can't love someone who has hurt me as much as he has. I won't allow myself. I should love someone who loves me unconditionally. Who embraces the fact that I want to pursue my dreams of song writing…not someone who is jealous of it.

After about an hour of writing I had to put my notebook down. Just the couple of lyrics I had written had caused me to break down in tears. Who was I trying to fool? I was still in love with my ex. I was heartbroken that he just broke up with me out of the blue. It's impossible to get over someone in only a week…especially someone who you thought you were going to marry.

The night that my ex broke up with me…I thought he was going to ask me to marry him. We had made special plans that night and I thought for sure that was going to be the night. I was prepared to say 'yes', but instead he had made plans to tell me to get out...

As I was lost in my thought, crying, depressed and feeling sorry for myself, I heard someone knocking at my door. I looked at the time and it was very late…too late for company.

Great, what else could happen tonight?


	10. Chapter 10

I rapidly pulled on a light sweatshirt over my tanktop, retied my PJ pants, and pulled my hair back into a quick bun as I walked towards the door. As I reached the door, I quickly looked in a mirror that was hanging in the living room; my eyes were a burning red and had faint black circles around them…I looked horrible.

I slowly cracked the door open to see Jason standing there, playing with a ring he had on one of his fingers. I quickly regretted not washing my face before coming to the door.

"Jason?" I started, "What are you doing here so late?" I asked as I opened the door wider for him to come inside. He had looked up at the sound of his name, and I noticed his eyes soften as they came in contact with mine.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly as he walked in; I closed the door behind him. "Um, yeah; I'm fine, but you didn't answer my question; what are you doing here? Is something wrong?" he gave me a look of disbelief when I answered him, but he dropped it for the moment.

"Oh, yeah; sorry about it being so late but Shane can't find his phone and he thinks he might have left it here," he said as he looked around the living room. It was now my turn not to believe him. Shane didn't even bring a cell phone to dinner for all I knew. I watched Jason as I put my hands on my hips.

"Are you sure Shane 'lost' his phone?" I asked suspiciously as I walked over and stood in front of Jason. To my surprise, he blushed. "Ok, ok…I lied," he confused quietly, "I was just worried about you and I wanted to come by to make sure everything was ok," he said as he sat down on the couch. I sat down next to him.

"Jason, that is very sweet of you," I said as I placed my hand on his knee, "but I'm fine. I'm a big, brave, strong girl," I said as I flexed my arm 'muscles'. He didn't laugh…not even a smile.

"Kristie, I saw your face earlier tonight. You were terrified and don't even try to pretend like you weren't," he said seriously. "Ok, ok; maybe I was a little shaken up," I admitted. He just looked at me. "Ok fine, I was scared beyond all belief," I admitted, defeated. Finally, he cracked a small smile.

"I just came by to make sure you were doing ok," he said softly, "and by the looks of your eyes…I think you could use a shoulder to cry on?" he offered kindly as he turned more towards me. I looked into his soft eyes, and for the first time in years I saw a true look of concern. I sighed deeply.

"Jason, it's not _just_ the fact that I was frightened by the earthquake, but I was trying to write some music and well…everything reminds me of my ex," I said as I started tearing up.

"Really? I mean I knew you just got out of a relationship, but I didn't know how torn up you were about it," Jason said as he fiddled with his ring again.

"I try not to be so sad around people; I don't want to bring others down just because of what I'm going through, you know?" I said as I fought back the tears.

"I had no clue. I guess it's amazing what you can hide just by putting on a smile. Do you think it'd help if you talked about it? I mean I know we kinda are now but if you'd like…we could go in the kitchen, put on a cup of coffee and you can tell me all about it," Jason said as he placed his hand on my back.

"You would do that for me?" I asked astounded. He smiled softly at me, "Of course," I couldn't help but engulf him in a hug. "You really are an amazing friend, Jason," I whispered softly in his ear as we hugged.

"Yeah…friend," I could barely hear him whisper as we pulled apart.

Jason had made us two amazing cups of coffee while we sat there and talked…well while I sat there and talked; he really just listened. I had told him everything about my ex; about how we met, how I moved away from home to be with him, how I thought I was going to marry him…and finally, how he pretty much kicked me out. Jason listened intently. He never missed a beat, every tear that fell down my cheek; he was there to wipe it away, and reassure me that nothing was wrong with me…that it was all my ex.

"Oh my…it's 2AM," I said as I went for a refill on my cup of coffee. "You should really be going. I bet Shane and Nate are worried sick about you," I exclaimed. Jason only chuckled.

"Nah, they knew I was coming over. They saw the look in your face earlier today too. We were all pretty worried about you," he said softly. My heart melted. I knew it was only a short amount of time, but I pretty much loved these boys like they were family.

"Thank you so much…for everything," I told Jason as I reached across the table to gently grab his hand. I could have sworn I saw his cheeks turn a soft red, but he quickly looked down and softly chuckled, "I'll always be here for you," he said as he looked up into my eyes. I couldn't help but smile at him. For some reason, his look caused my stomach to flop. I hadn't felt like that in ages…

"I'll help you with washing the glasses then I'll head out," Jason said as we both stood up and walked towards the sink. I turned on the water and we both started to wash all the dishes. As soon as we had put them back in the counters, we were both knocked to the ground by a huge jolt that shook the entire building…

It was another earthquake, and I could tell this one was going to be big…


	11. Chapter 11

I let out a yelp as I fell to the ground, hitting my forehead on the counter. Jason quickly crawled into a space underneath the counter; I soon felt his arms around my waist as he pulled me into the space with him. I was sitting between his legs, my head resting against his chest, and his arms wrapped tightly around my waist.

I could hear pictures and dishes falling all around us. The whole building was shaking, and all you could hear were things smashing and shattering. The lights were flashing on and off, but soon they were off for good. I was terrified as I held on to Jason tightly. I couldn't hold back my tears as I slightly sobbed into his shoulder. He was holding on to me just as tightly as I was to him; his arms around my midsection, and his legs wrapped around my lower body.

"When is this going to stop?" I asked as I moved right next to Jason's ear so he could hear me. "I don't know; it shouldn't be much longer," he replied. I could hear the fear in his voice, but for some reason I wasn't as scared as I was before. Something about being with Jason made me feel a little safer. I could feel his breath on my neck as I held on to him tightly. I relaxed just a little as I realized that we were safe from any danger while we remained in our hiding spot.

The shaking slightly subsided. "Is it over?" I whispered in Jason's ear. "The worst is," he replied as his hands ran gently up and down my back. "Can we get out now?" I asked; my body was starting to cramp up. "No, we should stay until all the shaking stops," he said confidently. I just nodded and laid my head against his shoulder.

Soon the shaking had completely stopped except for a slight rumble, but it wasn't long until that was over with as well.

"Should we wait here so there isn't any…after shock? Is that what it's called?" I asked hesitantly. In all honesty, I was just afraid to get out. In this hiding spot, I just felt safe and comfortable (minus the body cramping).

"I think it should be alright; let's just not go too far away from this spot for a couple of minutes…just in case," Jason said softly as he unwrapped his legs and arms from around me. As soon as he let go of me…the comfort went with him.

I slowly tried to crawl out of the space gracefully and lady-like, but that wasn't happening. There was barely any room to move, and all around us was shattered glass due to the broken dishes.

"Be careful," I heard Jason tell me softly as I tried to push away some glass from the ground I was about to step on. I held on to the counter and slowly pulled myself up. I slid slightly, but caught my balance before I fell.

"Be careful when you stand up. Don't pull yourself up too forcefully or you'll go sliding everywhere," I warned Jason. I could hear him moving around, trying to get out.

"Uh, Kristie…normally I wouldn't ask a girl this but…would you help me?" he asked so lowly I could barely hear him. I laughed softly despite everything that just happened, and I held my hand out for him. He softly took my hand as I used the counter for an anchor so I wouldn't be pulled down by his weight. Jason successfully pulled himself up. We both stretched as I tried to look around the room to see all the damage, but it was just too dark.

"What do we do now?" I asked Jason. It was too dark to try to walk, and it was too dangerous to try to feel our way around for the front door.

"Here," Jason said as he got out his phone. He had a flash for his camera on his phone, and was able to turn it on so we could look around a little.

My kitchen was a total mess. Everything was ruined. I could feel my eyes burning with tears as I placed my hand to my mouth. Everything I owned was probably ruined…I'd have to move back home to Alabama and give up my dream…

Jason softly put his arm around my shoulder, "Shh, it's going to be ok. Don't worry about that stuff now ok? Just be happy you're safe," he whispered. I could feel angry boiling deep inside me, as I shrugged away from him.

"Sure that's easy for you to say! This was everything I had…now it's gone. Now I'm going to have to go back to Alabama," I finished with a sob as I sat back down underneath the counter. I pulled my knees up to my chest and sobbed without care.

"Kristie," Jason whispered as he knelt down in front of me, "you won't have to go back to Alabama if you don't want to. My brothers and I, we'll help you…"

"No; I couldn't," I cut him off. I wouldn't take charity hand-outs from anyone; I wasn't raised that way. Jason reached out and gently wiped some tears away from my cheek.

"How about you come stay with me and my family for a couple of days? Just until we get some of this stuff settled out? Then if you want to go back to Alabama…you can go," he finished quietly as he held out his hand for me. I sighed, "…Ok," I said softly as I gently grabbed his hand. He pulled me into him as we both stood up.

"Ok, let's see if we can find our way out of his mess," Jason said as he still held a firm grip on to my hand. It was then that I noticed…I was barefoot. Almost anywhere I stepped, I was going to get glass in my foot.

"Jason," I whispered as I squeezed his hand gently. He looked down at me, "Yes?" he asked. "I…uh…don't have any shoes or anything on my feet," I told him hesitantly. He paused to think for a minute; he then handed me his phone, and bent down in front of me, so I faced his back.

"Hop on," he said like it was nothing. "Excuse me?" I asked a little taken back. I could hear him slightly chuckle.

"I'll give you a piggy back ride to the door; now hop on," he said seriously. I sighed…I could tell after this while situation he was going to be a closer friend to me than most of my friends back home. I doubt any of my friends back home would do this for me.

"Alright," I said as I placed my hands on his shoulders. I tried to gracefully jump up, but once again…that didn't work. I could barely jump high enough, but thankfully he caught me. I wrapped my legs and arms around Jason tightly, but not tight enough to hurt him. I held up the phone by his head so we could see where we were going as Jason stared to walk.

"Jason, will you promise me something," I said softly. "What is that?" he asked curiously.

"Please…never tell anyone about this."


	12. Chapter 12

Jason quickly got us out of the kitchen, away from the dangers of the broken glass. He slowly made his way into the living room…and it was a disaster. Everything was destroyed; my TV had fallen from the wall and busted open, all my pictures that were on display had been ruined, and to top it all off the bookcases, that the boys worked so hard to put together for me, had fallen and landed right on top of the guitar that my brother had bought for me.

The urge of sadness that washed over me caused me to let go of the grip I had on Jason. He tightened his grip on me as he felt me sliding. "No, please put me down," my voice cracked as I spoke. Jason gently sat me on my feet.

I used Jason's phone for a flashlight as I walked over to a picture I had sitting on one of my desks. It was a picture of my mother and me when I was a little girl…it was destroyed. I gently ran my fingers across it as I slightly cried, before just throwing it down in the pile of rubble that lay on the floor.

I quickly wiped my tears away before turning back towards Jason. He was trying to clear a path towards the front door. It was then when I noticed that my stereo had fallen out of the entertainment center, and both were blocking the door.

"Jason, don't hurt yourself," I said as I rushed over to him; he was trying to move the entertainment center all by himself. "It's fine; I got it," he barely forced out as he lifted it slightly just to have it slide out of his hands and fall back down.

"You know, it'd probably be easier if you had someone helping you," I said with a slight smirk. "Kristie," he said as he slid down against the wall to rest, "I have 3 reasons _not _to let you help me," he seriously. I scoffed, "And just what are they?" I asked trying not to become angry.

"Your hand is still slightly wounded from the other day, your barefooted, and finally…you're a _girl_," he finished; it was now his turn to smirk. I rolled my eyes…he underestimated me greatly.

"You _obviously _have never met a girl like me before," I retorted back at him as I stood next to the entertainment center. "Come on; get up," I ordered him.

"Kristie, I'm not going to let you do this. You were worried that _I_ was going to hurt myself; just think how I feel about you doing this," he tried to reason with me.

"Jason, I appreciate your concern, but don't you want to go check on your brothers? You're not going to be able to move this alone, so just stop your belly-aching and let me help you," I told him firmly as I crossed my arms. He sighed deeply before standing up. I couldn't help but smile at my victory.

"Ok; when I say 3, we both push it away from the door as hard as we can," he said as he bent his knees and grabbed onto a shelf. I nodded and followed his position.

"Ready?" Jason asked me hesitantly. I just nodded, getting ready to put all my strength into this. "1…2…3," Jason counted, and on 3 both him and I pushed with all our might until finally we shoved it away from the door. It wasn't very far, but it was far enough that we could probably slip through it.

Jason looked up at me, amazed that it had actually worked. I crossed my arms again and kept a slight smirk on my face. "Ok, ok; I'm sorry," he apologized. "Mhmm," was all I could manage to force out without smiling.

"Let's go see if we can find your brothers," I said as I became serious again. I hope they're ok; they should be since they live in California…they should be use to this…right?

I opened the door as wide as I could…which wasn't very wide at all. "Be careful," Jason warned as I started to go through the door. For the first time that night I managed to do something graceful; I slide through the small crack without any problems.

Once I was out I turned around to see Jason stepping up towards the crack. I was getting a little worried because I didn't think he was going to fit. I watched as Jason got his shoulders and mid-chest out of the door, but his lower body got stuck. I put my hand over my mouth as I tried to hide a giggle.

"Do you need some help?" I asked with a sly grin causing him to blush. "Uh…maybe," he said as he wiggled around a little. I laughed as I walked over to him and held out my hands. He clasped his around mine gently, "Ready?" I asked. He nodded.

I pulled with all my might as Jason wiggled his body. After about a minute, both of us went stumbling back as he slid free. I lost balance and went crashing into the floor, pulling Jason along with me.

"Oof!" I groaned as Jason landed on top of me. I hit my head as I landed on the hard ground. "Kristie, are you ok?" Jason asked worriedly as he propped himself up and gently lift my head off the ground to rest in his hands.

"Uhh, I'm fine," I said as I tried to sit up, but Jason gently pushed against me to make me stay down. "You shouldn't get up so fast; it'll give you a head rush and make you sick," he said softly as his face moved closer to mine.

I looked up into his caring brown eyes. It was so dark I could barely see his face right in front of mine. I could feel his soft breath on my lips. He gently caressed my cheek as I closed my eyes. His touch felt amazing against my throbbing head. I opened my eyes slightly to see him moving closer to my lips…

"There you two are!" we heard from behind us. Jason quickly pulled away from me to look up, but kept his hand on me to make sure I didn't. Sure enough though, standing right behind us was both of his brothers…safe and sound.


	13. Chapter 13

"Are you guys ok?" Nate asked as he walked over to us. Jason had quickly gotten off of me before his brothers reached us. "I'm fine, but Kristie hit her head when we fell just a second ago," he told them as he still kept his hand on my shoulder. I was getting tired of lying in the floor so I started to push Jason's hand away; this got his attention.

"I want up," I whined. "Ok, ok," Jason said softly as he wrapped an arm around my back and slowly helped me sit up. "How's your head?" Shane asked as he knelt down on the opposite side of his brother.

"It's throbbing a little, but it should stop soon…I'm guessing," I under exaggerated the pain greatly. In reality, it felt like there were a million little Irish dancers stomping over and over again on my poor brain. "Can you stand?" Nate asked me quietly; if he only knew how thankful I was for his soft tone…

"I might need some help up, but other than that I think I can," I said as I gently rubbed my temples. Jason and Nate each then put one arm behind my back as they helped me stand. "Thank you," I said quietly. As soon as their hands left me I felt a little wobbly, but thankfully Jason noticed, "Here, just lean on me for now," he whispered as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I leaned into his warm body, resting my sore head against his shoulder.

"So what do you suggest we do now?" Shane asked his oldest brother. "Well I don't think we should try to go to mom and dad's right now; we should wait until morning…what kind of shape is our loft in?" Jason asked.

"It's actually not too bad," Nate said. I wanted to get angry at someone for that…angry at the boys cause I was jealous, angry at God for letting this happen to me…but for some reason…I just couldn't. Jason was right; I was thankful that I was alive, and I was happy for the boys because I loved them like family now.

"How about we go up there and try to rest until sunrise? Then in the morning we'll try to go to mom and dad's," Jason suggested. His two brothers looked at each other, "Ok dude, but our loft's still pretty messed up," Shane said as he started to go upstairs. I scoffed, "Bet it's not as bad as mine," I mumbled bitterly without thinking. Jason gently rubbed my back to calm me down, "Do you think you can make it upstairs?" he asked softly. I inhaled deeply as I pulled away from him to try to stand on my own.

"I think I can do it," I said weakly. I grabbed on to the railing for support as I forced myself up the first step. For some reason, my body just ached all over…and my head felt like it would explode any second now.

Jason was walking behind me; I'm guessing to catch me if I went flying backwards. I was slowly moving along until I felt myself being picked up off the ground. Jason had lifted me up into his arms, cradling me.

"What are you doing?" normally I would have been totally embarrassed and fought with him, but I just couldn't seem to find the strength, so I just relaxed into his arms. "I'm carrying you…duh," he joked softly with me.

"But why?" I sleepily asked. "Cause you were walking way too slow for my liking," he grinned. "You don't have to do this, Jason," I said softly. "I know, but you looked like you were struggling to get up the steps," he whispered. I just barely nodded before resting my head against his chest.

Sleepiness immediately took over my body as soon as I closed my eyes. The sound of Jason's soft heartbeat and the warmth of his body were quickly putting me to sleep.

"No ma'am," Jason said quietly as he gently shook my body, "don't fall asleep." I groaned, "Why?" We had finally reached the top of the stairs, "Because you hit your head; you could have a concussion for all we know. You're going to have to wait at least an hour before falling asleep," I groaned again as Jason walked into his loft.

I tried my hardest to look around the room to see how it looked, but it was too dark. It was a shame that my first time visiting their place was under these circumstances.

"I'm gonna sit you down now, ok?" Jason said quietly; I nodded. He gently placed me down by the front of the door, so I could rest my back against the wall. "I'll be right back," he reassured me as he kneeled down to my side…then to my surprise he planted a soft kiss on my forehead before he walked over to his brothers. I was way too tired to think anything of the comforting kiss that Jason had just given me; I would worry over it later when things weren't so hectic.

While the boys were gone somewhere in one of their rooms, I was fighting the battle to stay awake. Jason had told me to stay awake because I might have a concussion, but the need to sleep was becoming too powerful.

I closed my eyes for what seemed like just a second before I was rudely awakened. "Kristie?" I felt a gentle shake. I reluctantly opened my eyes to see all three of the boys standing in front of me.

"What's going on?" I asked, trying to contain my grumpiness. "I told you not to fall asleep," Jason scowled me. "But I'm just so tired," I whined. "How about we all just stay up? You know, so we can keep you awake?" Nate offered kindly.

"No, y'all go get your sleep," I tried to shoo them away. "Nope, come on," Jason said as he reached around me to pick me up like before. He carried me over to the middle of their living room where blankets had been set up. It looked like a little camping area. Jason gently sat me down on one of the blankets. "Thanks," I mumbled sleepily.

"What can we do to keep you awake?" Shane asked as he sat down on his blanket. "I dunno," I said as I laid back on mine. "Nope," Nate said as he pulled me up by my shoulders. I groaned. I know they were just to help and all, but I was starting to get pretty grumpy.

"I know!" Jason blurted out as he got up to go get something. I could hear him in the distance moving things around. After a couple of minutes he returned with an acoustic guitar. A twinge of pain shot through my heart as I remembered mine had gotten smashed.

"A sing along!" Shane exclaimed. As grumpy as I was at that moment, Shane's child-like excitement did cheer me up slightly.

"Yeah, you played us a song earlier, so now it's our turn," Nate smiled. I became pretty excited when I found out _they _were going to be the ones singing, not me; and I had to admit...I wasn't tired anymore.


	14. Chapter 14

I awoke slowly from the sun shining in my eyes. Luckily, I had no headache from last night, but I still didn't want to get up; I was too comfortable. I groaned as I hid my face into the pillow I was resting my head on. I tried falling back into the deep sleep that I had just woken up from, but my pillow kept moving slowly up and down…my eyes shot open once I realized that normal pillows shouldn't be moving at all.

I sat up to see that I had buried my head into Jason's chest. I blushed deeply silently thanking God that no one else was awake. I could hear Jason groan down beside me as he curled up into a ball. I then looked around the room, for this was the first time that I actually gotten a good look at the guys' loft. Besides the huge mess from the earthquake, it was a total polar opposite of mine; which I guess would be expected since this was the home of three guys.

I was getting tired of being the only one awake, so I decided it was time to wake up the boys. "Jason," I whispered as I gently shook him, "time to wake up," I said sweetly. "Go away mom," he mumbled deeply as he swatted his hand at me. I had to put my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing. I decided to keep playing along, but first…I needed an audience.

"Nate, wake up," I whispered to him as I gently shook his shoulder. I decided to let Shane sleep some more since he was the farthest away from me. Nate started to groan as he sat up, but I put my finger over his lips before he could. "Shh, watch this," I told him as he started to become more aware of his surroundings.

"Jason, sweet heart," I started in the most motherly voice I could produce, "it's time to wake up," I finished as I placed my hand gently on his back. "5 more minutes mom," he groaned out as he gently pushed against my side. I could hear Nate start to snicker from beside me.

Right when I was about to shake Jason to finally wake him up; his arm shot out, grabbing me and pulling me down into his body as he proceeded to tickle me. I let out a yelp from the surprise, causing Shane to jump awake, and soon I couldn't control my laughter.

"You…you…were…faking!" I could barely get out due to all my laughs; I didn't know how much more I could take. "Don't mess with the best!" he exclaimed, not once taking a break from the tickling.

"Nate! Shane! Help me!!" I begged. Nate was off to the side with a smile on his face, sitting next to a groggily looking Shane. "Guyyyssss!" I practically begged them. Finally Nate spoke up, "Alright, _children_, break it up," he said with a smirk on his face.

Jason reluctantly let go of me as I sat up trying to catch my breath. I playfully glared at him while he just stared at me, wearing a smile. I couldn't help but turn away and blush. For some reason, when I was with Jason…everything just seemed to be better. It had been almost an entire day since I thought about my ex…and I couldn't remember the last time I felt so…carefree; even when we were in the middle of the earthquake…deep down I felt safe, because I was with him.

"So are we going to try to go to mom's today?" Nate asked his brothers. "Yeah, we need to because this place is a wreck," Shane said as he looked around their loft.

"You're just going to leave your place like this?" I asked confused. It was true, their place wasn't as bad as mine, but it was still pretty bad.

"Yeah, we can get people to come clean it up," Jason said like it was nothing. "Oh," I replied. I really didn't know what to say. I started to feel sick to my stomach as I realized that I would probably have to clean up my whole loft all by myself.

"What wrong?" Jason asked me softly as he moved closer to me. "I'm just not looking forward to having to clean up my mess," I admitted to them. I could hear Shane scoff from across the room. "You didn't think we'd let you clean up that mess did you?" he asked referring to my loft.

"Uhh…well it is _my _mess; and I can't afford to hire people to clean it up or whatever y'all are going to do," I said bashfully. "Kristie, people will clean the mess while you're staying with us," Jason said like it was obvious.

"Whoa, I didn't know that was going to happen. Doesn't it cost money or something?" I honestly had no clue how this was going to work. "Don't worry about it, Krissy. You're like our little sister now," Shane said as he plopped down next to me and rested his arm around my shoulder.

"Uh…expect for the fact I'm older than you and Nate," I pointed out. "Details, details," he said as he waved his hand in the air.

"I promise, as soon as I have enough money I will pay y'all back," I felt awful about borrowing from people. My dad raised me to be an independent woman, so I would never have to rely on anyone.

"Don't worry about it," Jason whispered to me. "Fine, but I'll pay you…" I was cut off midsentence by Jason's finger being placed over my lips. "Let's get ready and try to make our way to mom and dad's," he said as everyone started getting up and ready…well, as much as we could.

* * *

We had made our way to, much to my surprise, a very normal looking house about two hours away from our building back home. Luckily the buses were up and running; the boys though had to wear hats and sunglasses out, which was kinda weird.

The house looked amazing, so I'm guessing the earthquake didn't even touch here. "This is our parents' house," Jason whispered to me as we walked up to the front steps. I had to admit, I was a little nervous about meeting the boys' parents; although I was very excited to see Sammie again.

All three of the boys knocked at the same time in unison; which I thought was adorable. I stood there anxiously waiting for the door to open. God only knows how their parents will react to having some strange girl stay with them in their home…I could only hope they wouldn't be upset…


	15. Chapter 15

"Kristie!" we heard someone scream as the door opened; quickly the lower half of my body became engulfed in a hug by two small arms. I laughed softly as I gently patted Sammie's back. "Hey Sammie," I said sweetly as he pulled away.

"It's nice to see you too, _Sammie_," Nate said. "Oh, hey guys. What's everyone doing here?" he asked while walking back inside; the guys and I following close behind. "Yesterday the earthquake hit our places kind of hard, so we came home to crash for awhile," Shane said as we all walked into the living room of the house. "Wait…are you staying here too?" Sammie flat out asked me. "Um…" while I was trying to find the right words to say; Jason spoke up for me, "Yeah, we're going to ask mom and dad if that would be alright. Her place was more of wreckage than ours, and she doesn't have anywhere to go," he tried explaining to his brother. "Oh," Sammie said sadly.

While the brothers were talking, I couldn't help but look around at the lovely house their family owned. Their home was nicely decorated; the walls were painted a soft beige color and family pictures were everywhere. "Are mom and dad home?" Jason asked his youngest brother. "Mom is; she's in the kitchen," Sammie informed them.

"Will you go get her and bring her in here? We want our visit to be a surprise," Shane said excitedly. Sammie rolled his eyes slightly, but did as his brother asked. I stood there, fiddling nervously with my hands. I just wanted to get the first introductions over with; once that was done I think I'd be fine.

It wasn't long until a woman with black curly hair who was a little bit taller than me walked into the room. "Boys!" the woman exclaimed as she ran and hugged her children. I smiled happily for them, but on the inside my heart was hurting. I missed my brother and father...but even if I went home, I wouldn't be greeted with the same motherly hug that the boys just had.

"And who is this beautiful young lady?" their mother asked, causing me to blush, as she walked over to me. They all turned towards me and smiled, "Mom, this is our friend Kristie," Jason introduced me. I went to shake her hand, but she took me by surprise and pulled me into a hug. "It's nice to meet you, dear," their mother said. "It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Gray," I smiled at her as we pulled away. She was just too sweet.

"She was my friend first!" I heard Sammie pipe up, making me laugh. "Is that so?" she asked Sammie with a kindhearted smile. "Yes ma'am; you know, you did a fine job raising your boys to become such wonderful gentlemen," I smiled past her at all the boys; and to my surprise…all of them were blushing, even Sammie.

"Well you _must _tell me this story," she said referring to how I met Sammie, "please stay for dinner honey," she said in her motherly tone. "Actually mom…we kind of wanted to talk to you about something important now if that would be alright?" Jason butted in as he stepped up next to me. A worried look came across her face, "Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah we're all fine," she breathed a sigh of relief as she sat down on the couch. "Here honey, sit down next to me," she patted the couch. I did as she asked, while Jason sat on the other side of her and the others sat down in some other chairs that were placed around the room.

"Mom you know the earthquake that hit yesterday?" Shane said as he tried easing his mom into the conversation. "Yes?" she nodded. "Well it hit close to our place," Nate said. "Very close," Jason added.

"Oh no," Mrs. Gray gasped. "And Kristie lives in the loft below us," Nate said. "And both of our places were totally trashed," Shane said. "Kristie's is a whole lot worse than ours though, and she just moved here from Alabama so she doesn't really have a place to go," Jason said sadly; I could tell he was truly upset by my situation.

"Oh honey, you are staying with us; I insist," Mrs. Gray said as she gently patted my knee. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Gray. This means so much to me," I said as I gave her a hug. "It's not problem, sweetie," she said as we pulled away, "and besides, it's going to be nice having another woman around here," she said with a laugh. I smiled softly at her…I wanted to laugh, but to me it really wasn't a joke. It truly was going to be nice to be around a motherly figure.

"Boys, how about you go clean up for dinner; I'd like to have a girl talk with Kristie here for a moment," she said kindly. Normally I would be totally frightened, but talking to Mrs. Gray didn't bother me one bit. The boys all gave me a nervous glace at first, but I gave them a confident smile to let them know that I was ok.

Once the boys left, Mrs. Gray turned more on the couch to face me. "Honey, I suppose you didn't bring any clothes with you, did you?" she asked almost sadly. "Oh…no; I…uh…didn't" I blushed. I was so embarrassed, but that really was the last thing on my mind at the moment.

"Its ok sweetie," she said as she patted my back, "how about tomorrow, you and me go shopping? It'll be my treat," she said with a motherly smile. "Oh no, Mrs. Gray; I couldn't. You're already doing so much for me. I mean, the trip would be fantastic, but I'll buy my clothes," I told her seriously.

"Kristie," the way she said my name reminded me of how my mother use to, "I've always wanted a daughter. Taking you shopping like this would be my pleasure," she smiled softly, "and I would be insulted if you did not accept my gifts," her smile turned more into a smirk now. I couldn't help but laugh softly.

"Yes ma'am," I told her, "you know…when I was younger…my mother, she passed away. It's nice having a motherly figure back in my life," I confessed. "Aw honey," she said softly as she gently gave me another hug.

We talked for a couple more minutes until finally she told me to go wash up for dinner as well. For the first time since I moved out west…I felt truly at home.


	16. Chapter 16

It wasn't too late when everyone got done with dinner. I had gotten to meet the guys' dad, and he was just as sweet and understanding as their mom was, which I was very thankful for. Jason and I offered to clean up the kitchen after dinner, and it was so much fun because it felt just like when he'd help me back at my loft.

"So you're going shopping tomorrow with mom?" he asked with a grin. I couldn't help but smile back. "Why yes I am, and I am very much looking forward to it," I told him happily. He chuckled softly. "I'm glad you like her," he said seriously, but still with his smile. "I love her; you should tell her to adopt me," I joked. "Nah, that'd be too weird," he joked back. "Why? Shane already said I was like y'all's little sister," I whined. "Yeah, but I don't see you as a little sister," he said, not joking anymore. "What do you see me as?" I asked seriously as I looked him in the eyes. "Well…I…" he fidgeted.

"Guys!" Shane popped his head into the kitchen, "Nate and I are about to watch a movie; you two in or what?" I looked up at a relieved Jason, "Yeah, we're in," he answered for both of us. I put up the last dish and headed downstairs to the guys' entertainment room, with Jason quickly on my heels.

"What are we watching?" I asked as I plopped down on the couch next to Shane. He grinned and gave me the DVD case. It was _Quarantine_; that freaking scary movie about that camera crew getting locked in a building with something that's killing everyone.

"Yeah…uh…I'm not watching this," I said as I quickly got up and tried to bolt for the door, but unfortunately I ran right into Jason. He gently grabbed me by my arms, "Aw, come on; you know you want to watch it," he tried to convince me. "Yeah, and if you get scared, I'm sure _Jason_ will be more than happy to protect you," Shane teased from across the room, only to get smacked with a pillow by his younger brother. Both Jason and I blushed slightly.

"Come on, Kristie; it won't be that bad. Plus if you get scared," I was waiting for another tease, "just remember that you're down here with us…and we're not mean enough to let something happen to you," Nate said with a small grin. I scoffed at first, "Shane is," I finished with a pout as I crossed my arms. "Aw Krissy, I am not!" Shane exclaimed.

After a very long debate; I gave in…there was no way I was going to win the argument. I had bargained with the guys that I'd watch the movie if a light got to stay on…but dumb me didn't specify which one…I should have known better. Of course they chose the smallest light on the opposite side of the room, which only freaked me out even more because it created creepy shadows that I saw out of the corner of my eye.

We must have been a sight to see; all four of us piled onto the couch in front of the TV. I was sitting in between Jason and Shane with my knees pulled up to my chest. It was a very suspenseful part in the movie when suddenly I felt like something was crawling up my arm; I let out a squeal as I jumped almost literally into Jason's lap. Shane busted out into a fit of laughter. Turns out he had a feather from one of the pillows and was rubbing it on my arm to make me freak out.

After the feather incident, Jason kindly offered to trade places with me so that Shane couldn't bother me anymore. After that, the movie went a little better, and every time I got scared I would just close my eyes. Towards the end though, when the suspense became a little worse and I was pretty much just hiding my face in my knees the entire time; I felt Jason's arm rest around my shoulders. "It's ok. It's only a movie," he reminded me softly. "I know, I just don't want anything to pop out and scare the living daylights out of me," I confessed. I could hear Jason chuckle softly. "Here," he said as he pulled me into his side with his arm still around me, "feel better?" he whispered. I only nodded; being this close to a guy brought back memories of my ex, but to my surprise…I easily managed to push them into the back of my mind. Maybe I was getting over him…

* * *

"Alright, children, time for bed," Nate said as he stood up and stretched. The movie was finally over, thank God.

It was a little earlier than I normally go to bed, but Nate was right; we'd had a pretty rough couple of days and we all needed a good night's rest.

"You don't have any pajamas, do you Kristie?" Nate asked while we were cleaning up the room before heading upstairs. "Um…no, but I can sleep in this; its fine," I said referring to my jeans and t-shirt. "No you can't. Wait right here, we'll find you some clothes real fast," Jason said; so I sat back down on the comfy couch and waited for the guys to return.

After a couple minutes Jason returned by himself. "Here you go," he said as he handed me a pair of pajama pants and a worn out t-shirt. "Thank you, but…uh…if you don't mind me asking…where am I going to sleep?" Jason hit his head like people do when they forget things, "Oh duh, sorry; let me show you," he said as he gestured for me to go up the stairs first.

Jason showed me to a room that was next to Nate's and across the hall from his and Shane's. It was nice sized guest room that was decorated quite homey. "Do you need anything else before going to bed?" Jason asked me while I was looking around the room. I turned around to face him and thought for a second, "Would it be ok if I could use for phone for a couple of minutes? Just to call my dad and let him know I'm alright. I kinda lost mine in the mess of my apartment," I admitted bashfully.

"Of course," he pulled out his cell, "make any calls you need; free long distance," he smiled as he handed me his phone. I laughed softly, "Thank you," I said as I looked up into his eyes. I don't know what it was about this guy, but when I was around him…I was always so happy.

"Jason," I said softly. "Yes?" he asked as he walked closer to me. I couldn't help but wrap my arms around his neck and give him a hug. "Thank you for everything that you've done for me," I said as I pulled away. "You really are one of the sweetest people I've ever met; and your family has just been so nice to me…it just really means a lot to me," I said as I tried to fight back the tears.

"Aw Kristie," he whispered as he hugged me again, "don't worry about it. That's what…_friends_, do…right?" he asked, more than said. I laughed again as we pulled away from each other. Jason softly touched my cheek before wiping away a tear. "I'll uh…see you in the morning," he stammered before giving me one last hug. "Goodnight," he said as he walked out my door, leaving me standing there with a small smile on my face.

I quickly changed into the pajamas that Jason had given me and I crawled into bed. The pajamas smelt just like him…and I had to admit, I loved it. I laughed at myself; what was I doing? Smelling someone else's clothes…weirdo.

I decided to call my dad and let him know that I was alright, which he was very thankful for. We talked for a couple minutes, and he told me that my best friend from back home was very worried about me and that I should probably give her a call too.

Once I was off the phone with my dad, I decided to give my friend Jessica a quick call, so she wouldn't worry about me so much. We talked for a couple minutes before she dropped a bomb on me…

"You know, Kris…Matt has been calling me," she told me softly. My heart shattered. Matt was my ex…

"What did _he_ want?" I asked bitterly. "He misses you," she whispered. I became furious; she always had a soft spot for him; they were pretty good friends actually. I groaned.

"It's late Jess and I gotta get up early tomorrow, so I'm gonna go to bed," I had to get off the phone with her before I yelled at her.

"Good night, Kris," she said before hanging up. I groaned again as I put Jason's phone on the bedside table, where I found a notepad…

Before going to sleep, I decided to take my angry out and write some lyrics…


	17. Chapter 17

Hey guys! Thanks for all the reviews; they mean the world to me!!! =) Just letting you know that I don't own the song...it belongs to Taylor Swift =)

* * *

I jumped awake from a loud knocking at my door. "Kristie!!" BANG! BANG! BANG! "Wake up!!" I groaned as I walked to my door and harshly opened it. Shane was standing in front of me wearing a huge grin. "I have the pleasure of waking everyone up," he grinned.

Shane looked me up and down then laughed. "Those pajamas look nice on you," I looked down to see the pants were barely staying up and the shirt had slid off my shoulder. "Eep!" I squealed as I straightened out the clothes quickly. He laughed, "Breakfast is in about 30 minutes," he said as he walked across the hall to start banging on Jason's door.

I quickly got ready in the bathroom that was connected to my room. I still didn't have any new clothes with me, so I had to put on what I had worn yesterday. I was really excited about going shopping with Mrs. Gray today; not only for the fact that I was going to get new clothes or that I was just going shopping, I was more excited about spending time with a mother. I had always loved going to my friends' houses and talking to their moms…there are just some things that you can't talk about with your father.

I walked down to the kitchen to see Mrs. Gray setting up the breakfast table, while Mr. Gray was already sitting down reading the newspaper. "Good morning," I greeted them with a smile. "Good morning, Kristie," Mr. Gray greeted me as he put down his paper.

"Would you like some help, Mrs. Gray?" I asked as I walked over to her. "Oh honey, that would be nice. Would you put the glasses on the table? Everyone usually takes orange juice, expect Sammie; he's an apple juice boy," she laughed as she rolled her eyes. I smiled and did what she asked.

Everyone had a lovely breakfast overall. Every now and then I'd glance over at Jason to see him nodding off at the table, which would only cause me to cover my mouth to conceal my giggles; but it seemed to matter how hard I tried, Shane and Nate always seemed to catch me looking at their brother.

"So when are you two going shopping?" Nate asked his mom. "After breakfast once the kitchen is cleaned up," she stated, matter-of-factly. "I'll clean up after dinner, Mrs. Gray, if you don't mind the wait," I offered. "Oh no, honey; you did it last night. I think Nate and Shane should take care of it this morning," she grinned at her boys, causing them to groan.

"What are y'all doing today?" I asked the boys. "We got a band thing to do," Shane said once he was done chewing. "What about you, Sammie? Want to come shopping with us?" I grinned. "Uh, thanks but I'll pass," he said honestly, causing me to laugh.

Mrs. Gray and I have been shopping for a couple of hours and I was having a great time. We had talked about almost everything; I told her about getting dumped and how I met Sammie on my first day of living in California, and she told me about the struggles the boys had on their way to fame.

"You know, Mrs. Gray, you really did a wonderful job with raising your boys. They're got to be the sweetest guys I have ever met," I told her sincerely. She smiled, "Thank you, Kristie. I can tell they're all pretty smitten with you, especially one in particular," she winked and gently patted my arm. I was confused; what was she talking about?

"What do you mean?" I asked, truly having no idea what she was talking about. "Oh sweetie, you may not be able to see it now, but soon you will," she said softly. I still looked at her like she was crazy, but decided to shrug it off for now.

We arrived home after a couple more hours of shopping. Mrs. Gray was so incredibly nice that not only did she buy my clothes, but she also bought me some makeup and the cutest pair of shoes; but I wasn't the only one who got some things; turns out Mrs. Gray is a 'professional' shopper as well. We both were carrying in a ton of bags, "Need some help?" I heard before I headed upstairs. I noticed the voice right away as Jason's. "Yes, please," I admitted as he took some bags away from me.

"Have a good time?" he asked with a laugh, nodding towards all my bags. I smiled, "Yes, you're mom is amazing. It was nice to have some girl talk," I laughed. "That's good," he smiled. Jason and I reached my room and put down the bags on my bed.

"Uhh…Kristie," Jason started nervously, as I headed for the door. "Yes?" I asked as I turned around to face him. "There's something I need to tell you…and me hope you don't get mad or anything," he fidgeted. I laughed softly, "Jason, right now there's nothing you can do to get me mad at you. You've done all this for me…heck probably by now, to pay you back I'd have to give you a kidney or something," I joked trying to lighten the mood.

"Well this morning after you and my mom left, I came in here to get my cell phone back," he started slowly. I just nodded along, "and I, uh, found this," he said as he lifted up my sheet with the lyrics I had written last night.

"Oh yeah, my lyrics," I told him. He nodded, "That's what I thought they were…and well; I know this song is personal and all, and it's probably about your ex, but…I showed the guys and we…put music to it," he said quietly, "I hope you're not mad," he finished quickly.

"Mad? Jason, why would I be mad?" He shrugged. "Some people take their music very seriously, but I just wanted to surprise you," he admitted. I could feel my heart flutter; that was the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.

"Can I hear it?" I asked with a hopeful smile. He sighed with relief, "Sure," he said before we both headed down to their den. Nate was already down there, fooling around with the piano. "What did she say?" he asked before he saw me walk down.

"I said, I wanna hear it," I said with a smile as I reached the bottom of the stairs. Jason grabbed his guitar and Nate pulled out some sheet music, and they began to play the song they had written for my lyrics.

"All this time I was wasting  
Hoping you would come around  
I've been giving out chances every time  
And all you do is let me down

And it's taking me this long  
Baby but I figured you out  
And you're thinking we'll be fine again  
But not this time around

You don't have to call anymore  
I won't pick up the phone  
This is the last straw  
Don't wanna hurt anymore

And you can say that you're sorry  
But I don't believe you baby  
Like I did before  
You're not sorry, no, no, no, no

Looking so innocent  
I might believe you if I didn't know  
Could've loved you all my life  
If you hadn't left me waiting in the cold

And you got your share of secrets  
And I'm tired of being last to know  
And now you're asking me to listen  
Cause it's worked each time before

But you don't have to call anymore  
I won't pick up the phone  
This is the last straw  
Don't wanna hurt anymore

And you can tell me that you're sorry  
But I don't believe you baby  
Like I did before  
You're not sorry, no, no, oh  
You're not sorry, no, no, oh

You had me falling for you honey  
And it never would've gone away, no  
You used to shine so bright  
But I watched all of it fade

So you don't have to call anymore  
I won't pick up the phone  
This is the last straw  
There's nothing left to beg for

And you can tell me that you're sorry  
But I don't believe you baby  
Like I did before  
You're not sorry, no, no, oh  
You're not sorry, no, no, oh  
No, oh, no, oh, no oh  
Whoa, no, no"

It was so weird to hear the words that I had written just last night, be sung by two famous recording artists. "Wow…that was amazing guys," I was truly flabbergasted and a little bit jealous because that was something way better than I could probably ever write.

"Will you teach it to me?" I asked Jason referring to the guitar chords. "Yeah of course," he said with a smile as he went to get another guitar.

"Kristie!" Shane screamed from upstairs, "you have a visitor!" What? Who? I looked at Jason confused. "Will you come with me?" I asked him a little nervously. "Yeah, come on," he said as he walked up the stairs first.

"Who are you?" I heard Jason ask in an out-of-character rude tone, as he reached the top of the stairs first.

"I'm Matt," I heard while standing behind Jason. I pushed him to the side to see if it was true. Sure enough, standing right in front of us was my ex…Matthew.


	18. Chapter 18

My heart shattered as I saw the familiar face of this guy that I…_use_…to have such strong feelings for. "What are you doing here?" I asked rudely, appalled that he would show up to some person's house that he did not know just to talk to me.

Matt looked behind me, "Uhh…can we go outside and talk? Alone?" he asked referring to all three of the guys standing behind me. "No, you can't," Jason butted in as he stepped next to me. "Kristie," Matt said my name softly as he stepped closer to me, "please?" he almost begged. I sighed. "I'll be right back guys," I told them. They didn't look very happy.

Matt and I walked outside, but not too far away from the door. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?" I asked as soon as the front door shut. I crossed my arms in front of my chest as he spoke, "Kristie…I think I made the biggest mistake of my life," he said sadly. I scoffed. "Yes, I know you did, but you still didn't answer my second question," I said cold heartedly.

"You told Jess that you were with those guys, so I checked some internet sources," I curled my lip in disgust. "So you pretty much stalked me?" I asked in anger. "Only because _I want you back_," he said as he gently took one of my hands. I quickly pulled it away from him.

"Don't do this to me," I said as the tears started to form in my eyes. "Do what?" he whispered as he gently touched my cheek. "_This!_ You _dumped_ me, and just when I started to get over you, you have to freaking come back and do this to me," my tears started to fall freely now.

"Kristie, baby, I never wanted to hurt you. I just…the spark was gone; I felt like we weren't connecting anymore. After you left though, my world just started crumbling around me. It's true what they say you know, 'You don't know what you got 'till it's gone'," he said as he held my chin gently, forcing me to look him in the eyes.

"Matt, I gave up my whole life for you; I moved away from daddy and Tony, I had to give Tony my puppy dog, I moved to a totally different state where I had no friends…all for you…then you just dumped me out of nowhere leaving me with no place to go!" I screamed at him.

"I know, honey, and I am so sorry," he said as he pulled me into his chest. "It will never happen again," he whispered as he stroked my hair. I harshly pulled away from him, "You're right, it won't happen again; because you're not getting another chance," I said bitterly through my tears.

Matt looked like I had just slapped him. "What?" he asked in total disbelief. "Matthew, the night that you broke up with me…I thought you were going to _propose_," I admitted to him finally. He definitely looked shocked now.

"_Propose?_" he asked with a gasp. "Yes; heck I freaking moved there and we lived together for two years. I'm not going to wait around for you forever," I said honestly. My anger was slightly decreasing.

"Kristie, there is no way that I'm ready for marriage," he said, still keeping his distance now. "Then there is no way that I'm going to waste my time on you anymore," I said as I started to head for the door.

Suddenly I felt him grab my wrist and pull me into him while he planted a huge sloppy kiss on my lips. I harshly pushed him away and slapped his face as hard as I could. I quickly rushed inside as fast as I could while sobbing uncontrollably, totally ignoring all three of my best friends.

"Kristie!" I heard one of them yell after me, but I didn't turn back. I ran straight to my room and flopped down onto the bed, burying my face into my pillow. I sobbed until I felt pressure on my bed, and someone gently rubbing my back.

"Kristie," Jason whispered, "what happened?" he asked softly. I sat up and wiped my face like a little child. All three boys had sat down on my bed. "I told him that I couldn't see him anymore…then he tried to change my mind by kissing me, but honestly…it just made me feel dirty," I sobbed into my hands.

"I'll be right back," Jason said as he started to get up. I could tell he was angry, "Jason; don't," I said sternly. I didn't want him in it. "No; I'm just going to talk to him…he probably won't be down there anyways," he said as he rushed out my room.

Nate scooted in Jason's spot and rested his arm around my shoulder, "It's ok, Kristie. He seemed like a jerk anyways," I smiled at him. "Thanks," I whispered. "Anything we can do?" Shane asked from my other side. "No thank you…maybe some alone time? I just…need to write something," I said quietly. They nodded. Nate had walked out but Shane pulled out something from the bedside table.

"Here; it's kind of like a gift to make up for teasing you all the time," he smiled as he nudged my shoulder. Shane handed me a beautiful notepad with my name written on it. I truly smiled then, "Thank you so much, Shane," I said as I hugged him. "No problem, Krissy," he said before kissing my forehead and walking out the door.

It had been almost an hour and I was writing nonstop, through tears and sobs. All the crying had made me exhausted, but of course as I laid down I couldn't shut off my mind to actually go to sleep.

Thankfully a knock came at my door. I got up to open it; Jason was standing there, not wearing his usual smile. "Need some company?" he offered. I nodded and moved over for him to come in; leaving the bedroom door open.

I sat down on my bed as Jason sat next to me. "You deserve better than that…guy," he said bitterly almost as if he was biting his tongue. Tears immediately came to my eyes, "I thought he was the one," I confessed through sobs.

"Aw, Kristie," he whispered as he pulled me into his chest, "you're still young. You have plenty of time to find the one. He could be under your nose for all you know," Jason whispered comfortingly to me as he rubbed my back. I sighed deeply, taking in his scent; and for some reason it seemed to relax me.

I closed my eyes as Jason gently rubbed my back and soon I was out for the night.


	19. Chapter 19 Preview

Hey everyone! This isn't the whole chapter...it's more of like a preview to what's going to happen, but I'm going on vacation for about a week and I'm leaving tomorrow night. I'll try to post the rest of this chapter tomorrow, but no promises. I hope you like what I got so far, and I'll miss reading your reviews everyday! Thanks to all my loyal readers, I love y'all!!!

P.S. I'm taking my laptop with me and if the hotel has wifi or something I'll be able to post, but if not...I'll be back in a week! Love you guys! =)

* * *

I slowly began to wake up due to movement under me. "Kristie," I heard someone whisper, "time to wake up," I soon recognized the voice as Jason's. I slowly sat up, still feeling exhausted from all the crying that I did last night. "What time is it?" I could barely mumble out as I wiped my eyes. He sat up next to me and looked at the clock on the table, "It's around 7, but we should get up before my brothers come in here or something."

It was then that I realized that Jason had fallen asleep last night not only in my room; but in my bed…with me. "I'm sorry I fell asleep on you last night, it's just…" I tried to explain, but Jason quickly cut me off, "Kristie, please; there's no need for you to apologize. I'm just glad that I could be there for you," he smiled at me. By now I was started to wake up a little more.

I reached over and gently took Jason's hand, "Jason, you always seem to be there for me when I need you the most. It means the world to me…you mean the world to me," I admitted as I leaned over and kissed his cheek. I immediately saw a blush come to his face, causing me to smile. He could only manage to mumble out a 'thank you'.

I sighed deeply as I stretched before standing up. "We should probably start getting ready for the day," I said as I walked over to my closet to look for an outfit. "Yeah, you're right," Jason said as he stood up and walked over to me, "before I go though, I wanted to ask you something," he said a little nervously.

"What is it?" I asked as I turned to look up at Jason. He stared into my eyes for a couple of seconds before speaking, "Well I wanted to do something to cheer you up and I was wondering…if you aren't doing anything tonight…would you like to have dinner with me?" I couldn't help but smile, his nervousness was just so adorable.

"I'd really like that," I said with a smile. He immediately smiled back at me, "Could you be ready around 5 o'clock?" he asked a little bit more confidently. "Of course," I said as we both walked towards the door leading into the hall. "I'll…see you at breakfast," Jason said; and right before walking out my room he gave me a soft kiss on the cheek…this time leaving _me_ with the blush…


	20. Chapter 20

I'm back!!!! Man, have I missed y'all!!! Hope you enjoy =)

* * *

After taking a shower and getting ready for the new day, I walked down to breakfast only to be greeted by Mrs. Gray. "Good morning, Mrs. Gray," I said cheerfully. She smiled happily. "Good morning, Kristie. I'm glad to see you're in a good mood this morning," she said cheerfully as she started setting up the table. I decided to help her without asking and took on my duty with handling the drinks.

"Yes ma'am," I told her confidently as I finished the table. "Thank you for the help, dear. It's amazing how quickly things can get done just by having another woman in the house," Mrs. Gray joked as she walked back over to the stove.

"Good morning, ladies," Shane said as he walked into the kitchen with his three brothers following him. "Good morning," Mrs. Gray and I both sang happily in unison. I went to sit down in my usual spot, until Jason came up and with a smile pulled out my chair for me. "I got it for you," he said with a charming smile. I couldn't help but smile whole heartedly. "Why thank you, sir," I said, trying to flatter him with my southern charm. For some reason I felt the urge to want to make him blush, but he just smiled and went to take his seat across the table from me.

All throughout breakfast I would randomly catch myself glancing over at Jason. I didn't know what was the matter with me. Why I was so concentrated on Jason this morning? And of course, almost every time I looked at him, he would be looking right back at me only causing me to turn away in embarrassment. Every now and then I could hear soft chuckling coming from his brothers.

After breakfast, Jason and Sammie offered to do the dishes, leaving me alone with Nate and Shane. We were down in their den, thinking about what we could do today. "So," Shane started out as he grabbed his remote guitar for one of his video games, "you and Jason, huh?" he nudged my shoulder and raised one eyebrow.

I tried to act like I didn't know what they were talking about, but secretly I knew they were referring to this morning's starring contest between me and Jason. "What about us?" I asked innocently. "Oh don't give us that! We're not dumb," Shane said taking my question as an insult. "And we _do _have _eyes_," Nate said like it was obvious.

I decided to keep with my act; I wanted to hear what they were thinking, "What are you talking about?" I asked seriously. "Oh please, you two were eyeing each other up all during breakfast," Shane said as he sat down next to me; he had still yet to turn his game on.

"It's obvious you two have feelings for each other," Nate said as he sat on the other side of me. "I don't know what y'all are talking about. Jason and I are just good friends," I said with a smile. "Friends do not look at each other the way you two do," Nate said, trying to make me see what I guess they were seeing.

"Kristie, you may not see it, but our brother is head over heels for you," Shane admitted. Could that really be true? Did Jason really have more-than-friend feelings for me? I would have been able to tell…wouldn't I?

"And we just don't want to see our brother hurt," Nate said softly. I was a bit taken back at what I had just heard. Did they think I was going to hurt their brother?

"What do you mean?" I asked Nate seriously. "Jason told us about some plans you two had for later tonight," Shane butted in, "and he is really excited…he thinks this is a date," Nate finished in his serious tone.

"Oh," I said softly as I realized where they were coming from now. "And y'all wanted to make sure that I understood what I was getting into?" I asked them softly. They nodded. I took a couple of seconds to think before speaking again. So far since I had met Jason (which really isn't so long ago), he has done more for me than Matt had done in our whole relationship. Heck, he freaking kicked me out of the place we were staying, while Jason on the other hand brought me into his home when I needed someone the most.

"I couldn't think of anyone else that I'd rather go on a date with," I finally admitted to them. Maybe I was developing feelings for Jason all this time, and I didn't even realize it. They both smiled with almost a relieved look on their faces.

I needed some time to think to myself for awhile. Before I went on this date with Jason, I wanted to see if I could straighten out my feelings that I was struggling with. Am I falling for Jason, or do I just need him for the moment at hand? He is such an amazing guy that I definitely was not going to play with his emotions.

"Guys…I'm gonna go up to my room for a bit. Just need a little alone time for awhile, that ok?" I asked as I stood up. "Yeah, of course," they nodded, "if you need anything you know where we'll be," Shane said as he turned on his game. They would probably be down here for hours.

I went up to my room and pulled out the notebook that Shane had given me last night. So many thoughts and emotions were running through my head at the moment that I just had to write them all down. To my surprise, I ended up writing for a couple of hours; until finally I had come down to a conclusion.

I think I had finally figured out how I felt about Jason, and I was going to tell him…tonight…


	21. Chapter 21

Tonight was my date with Jason, and I still haven't been out of my room since this morning. I think I had finally sorted out my feelings for him…at least the feelings I had for him _now_. I was pretty confident that I made the right choice; although I really didn't wish I had to choose right at this moment…but I guess Shane and Nate were right…he needed to know.

I decided to walk downstairs; I needed someone to talk to. Mrs. Gray was the only one downstairs; she was sitting in the living room reading a book. "Hey, Mrs. Gray," I said as I sat down in a chair across from her. She smiled, "Hey sweetie; you finally decide to take a break?" she asked.

I laughed softly, "Yes ma'am. Where are the boys?" I asked her. I really needed to talk to her and I wanted to make sure we could do it without any interruptions. "Oh, they went out for a bit. They should be back later," I silently thanked God.

"I was just thinking for awhile…Mrs. Gray, can I talk to you about something?" I asked cautiously. "Of course," she said as she put her book down. "What's on your mind honey?" she asked as she motioned for me to come sit next to her. I did as she asked.

"Remember when we went shopping and you said one of your sons was 'smitten' with me?" I started out slowly. She nodded with a grin. "Was that son, Jason?" I asked softly. Her smile grew. "So you finally realized it?" she asked with a slight giggle at the end. I couldn't help but smile in return.

Once she realized that I wasn't as giggly as she was, she sobered up a bit. "What's wrong honey?" I sighed softly. "Well, tonight Jason and I are having dinner together, and Shane and Nate told me Jason expected this as a date. They don't want to see their brother hurt so they gave me a heads up…and I'm just scared," I confessed to her.

"Oh honey," she said as she pulled me into a hug, "why are you scared?" she asked as we pulled apart. "I just…I just got out of a pretty serious relationship with this…jerk…and I'm scared. I don't know if I'm ready for a commitment, and plus, Jason is such a great friend to me…I don't want to ruin that," I said quietly.

"Well of course, I'm going to talk up my son," she let out a soft laugh, "but I've seen the way Jason looks at you; he adores you honey. And I've seen how you look at him," she paused shortly as she gave me a soft smile, "I understand your fear of risking the friendship, but sometimes friends make the best relationships." I nodded along.

"But don't worry honey; even if you tell him you just want to remain friends I am positive that he will respect your wishes and he will still want to be your friend. Plus, I just _love _having you here," she patted my hand and let out a laugh.

"Thank you, Mrs. Gray," I said as I gave her a hug. While hugging her I noticed the clock on the wall. It was about 4 o'clock. "Oh goodness," I said as we pulled away, "I need to get ready," she laughed as I rushed up the stairs.

I took a quick shower and looked through my closet for something to wear. I decided on a light blue sundress. I thought it made my blue eyes stand out a little more. I smiled to myself as I realized that I actually wanted to impress Jason. I wanted to look pretty for him.

I slipped on a pair of white sandals and put on just a little makeup. Just as I finished doing my hair, I heard a knock at my door. I gave myself one final look in the mirror before opening my door. Of course it was Jason, and his reaction to seeing me was priceless. His grin slowly faded as his lips slightly parted.

"Kristie…you look…amazing," I couldn't help but blush. "Thank you," I said with a sincere smile. I looked down and saw a pink tulip in Jason's hand. "Um…is that for me?" I asked hesitantly. He looked down at his hand, and then slapped his head like he'd forgotten.

"Oh…duh," he laughed nervously as he lifted the flower, "this is for you," he said with a small blush. I took the flower, smelled it, and then looked up into Jason's eyes. "Thank you, Jason," I said as I leaned up to kiss his cheek. He smiled.

"You hungry?" he asked as he offered me his arm to walk down to his car. "I'm a southern girl; I can always eat," I joked with him. He laughed.

"Where we going?" I asked as we reached his car. "You'll see," he grinned as he opened the car door for me. "Mhmm," I said with my own grin as I sat down in the car.

I heard Jason shut my door; I took this moment to giggle like a little girl. I don't remember the last time I had this feeling. I felt like a little school girl with a crush. Maybe tonight would be an awesome night…I couldn't wait to find out. The only thing I wasn't looking forward to was telling Jason how I felt…I wasn't sure how he was going to react. I could only hope for the best…


	22. Chapter 22

"Here you go," Jason said while handing me some sort of cloth as he sat down in the driver's seat. "What do you expect me to do with that?" I asked as I just looked at it. He chuckled. "Close your eyes," he asked nicely. "You've got to be kidding me…you're going to blindfold me?" I asked shocked. The giggly feeling that I just had suddenly left. "Yes I am," Jason said with a laugh as he tied the cloth over my eyes. "You're lucky I trust you," I mumbled under my breath.

"So where are we going?" I asked as I felt the car start to move. "Well if I told you that would defeat the whole purpose of the blindfold," Jason said with a smile in his voice. I laughed, "Yeah, I guess you're right." As we drove, I could hear Jason singing softly to the music. "You have an amazing voice. Why don't you sing more?" I asked without beating around the bush.

"I like singing, but I like playing my guitar more," Jason said confidently. I could tell he really did have a passion for his guitar. "Oh," I mumbled. "But I'm glad you like my singing," he said softly as I felt him gently pat my hand. I was glad that it was nighttime, so I could hide my blush.

We drove for about 15 minutes before I felt the car stop. "Can I take off my blindfold now?" I asked as I reached up to take it off. "No!" Jason exclaimed as he reached up to gently grab both of my hands. "Not yet," he said quietly as he regained his composure. "Ok," I whispered.

I sat in the car as Jason walked around to open the door for me. I heard my door open. "Give me your hand," he asked kindly. I lifted my hand and felt Jason pull me out of the car. "Thank you," I said bashfully. "Alright, we're gonna walk a little, but just hold on to me," he whispered as he wrapped my arm around his.

We didn't walk very far before I heard a squeaky sound of a door opening. "A few more steps…anddd…stop," I heard Jason say as we stopped walking. I was just about to ask if I could take off my blindfold, but he beat me to it.

As soon as I could see again I was in amazement. "Jason…is this your backyard?" I heard him chuckle, "Yeah. I wanted you to have a good time, and since I can't go many places without people recognizing me…I figured this would be the best place," he said almost apologetically.

The yard was beautiful. All the trees had Christmas lights wrapped around their trunks and leaves, and hanging from their branches. The picket fence was also decorated in white lights. There was a small table for two in the middle of the yard with a small candle in the center.

"It's beautiful," I said still in awe. "Did you do all this for me?" I asked as I turned towards Jason. No one has ever done anything as thoughtful as this for me. "Well let's just put it like this…I'm glad you stayed inside all day," Jason laughed as he lead me to sit down at the table.

I was truly lost in my amazement. I was feeling so many emotions: touched, excited, sad, worried, nervous. I was just at a loss of words. I knew I should say something…anything…but all I could do was look around at how beautiful the setting was.

Jason pulled out my chair for me and I sat; still without saying a word. He walked around and sat across from me. "Kristie, are you ok?" he asked, finally realizing my unusual silence.

I could feel a tear come to my eye. "This is all too much," I whispered. "Don't worry about it," Jason said with a charming smile. "I didn't think stuff like this actually happened to people," I admitted trying to hold back the bitterness. I suddenly remembered how Matt use to think romantic stuff like this was cliché and he would _never _do something like that.

Jason reached out and gently grabbed my hand that was resting on the table. "I just want you to have a good time," he said sincerely as he slowly removed his hand from mine. I had a weird feeling as I felt Jason release my hand…it felt like I was a little girl who just had her teddy bear taken away…for some reason I felt…vulnerable.

"Good evening!" I heard from the side of the table. I looked up to see Shane dressed in a suit, and a drawn on mustache. I couldn't help but forget all the worry that I was just feeling and I had to laugh. "I will be your waiter tonight, please refer to me as Alfonso," Shane said with a horrible fake Italian accent.

I watched as Jason hid his face in what I thought was embarrassment at first, but he was just trying to hide from how hard he was laughing, which only caused me to laugh harder. "What will you two have to drink tonight?" Shane...aka…Alfonso asked. We both just asked for waters.

After we both got over the shock of Shane's skill at waiting tables, we had a very lovely dinner that I found out Nate had actually cooked. I couldn't get over how much I truly loved these boys. No matter what, I now officially considered them family.

"Jason, thank you so much for all of this. You don't know how much I needed it," I told him honestly, after we had finished our dinner. "I just don't like to see you upset, Kristie. I don't like seeing you cry. I don't like seeing you hurt over some guy who could just throw you away. You deserve better than that, Kristie…" Jason finished in a whisper.

"About that…" I started quietly. I took a deep breath. I needed to tell Jason…Here we go…now or never…


	23. Chapter 23

"About that…" I started quietly. I took a deep breath. "Jason, I want to tell you something," I said nervously. "I…" I was quickly interrupted, "Wait…I want to do something for you…while I have the courage," Jason said hurriedly before he got up to go get something.

I mentally kicked myself for not talking fast enough. Holding in these feelings was really starting to get to me and I needed to tell Jason soon before I had an emotional breakdown.

He soon returned with an acoustic guitar in his hand. I swallowed hard as I felt a lump forming in my throat. He was going to play a song for me…

As Jason returned he moved his chair out from under the table and closer to me. "Kristie," he took a deep breath, "my brothers and I have been writing songs for our new album, and there's one in particular that reminds me of you…of us. I want to play it for you," Jason finished in almost a whisper.

He didn't give me a chance to say a word. As soon as he finished talking he began softly playing the first couple of chords on his guitar. It wasn't long until he began singing along…

"If time was still  
The sun would never, never find us  
We could light up  
The sky tonight  
I would see the world through your eyes  
Leave it all behind

If it's you and me forever  
If it's you and me right now  
That'd be alright  
Be alright  
If we chase the stars to lose our shadow  
Peter Pan and Wendy turned out fine  
So won't you fly with me

Now the past  
Has come alive  
And given meaning  
And a reason  
To give all I can  
To believe once again

If it's you and me forever  
If it's you and me right now  
That'd be alright  
Be alright  
If we chase the stars to lose our shadow  
Peter Pan and Wendy turned out fine  
So won't you fly with me

Maybe you were just afraid  
Knowing you were miles away  
From the place where you needed to be  
And that's right here with me

If it's you and me forever  
You and me right now  
I'd be alright  
If we chase the stars to lose our shadow  
Peter Pan and Wendy turned out fine  
So won't you fly with me

If it's you and me forever  
If it's you and me right now  
I'd be alright  
Be alright  
If we chase the stars to lose our shadow  
Peter Pan and Wendy turned out fine  
So won't you fly  
Fly…with me"

Jason didn't look at me the entire first part of the song. As soon as soft chords started being played around the part about being afraid and the miles away; that was when he looked up into my eyes. He was truly singing to me. He took a risk to tell me how he really felt about me…exactly what I was going to do tonight.

As the song came to an end, Jason looked down at his guitar; I'm guessing because he was too nervous to look me in the eyes. How could I match that? Telling someone how you feel with a song? That's pretty much amazing, but I quickly remembered: Actions speak louder than words.

That was my last thought before I leaned on the edge of my chair, lifted Jason's chin with my index finger, and then softly kissed his lips. He paused for a second before actually kissing me back. I only hoped because I had taken him by surprise.

"Kristie," Jason whispered to me as we slowly pulled apart, "I don't want to be _just _your friend," he said confidently as he looked me in the eyes. I couldn't contain my smile. "Good, because I don't want you as just my friend," I told him before we both leaned in for another kiss.

I was ecstatic that Jason felt the same way about me as I did for him. I know his brothers and mom told me that he did, but it just felt better to hear it from him…from his own lips.

Jason stood as he held his hand out for me. I gladly accepted, and I started to head back towards the house only to be pulled back into Jason's warm embrace. He wrapped his arms around me, "Where do you think you're going?" he asked with his charming smile.

"I thought we were heading in?" I asked confused. He scoffed, playfully. "I hope you don't think our _date_ is over," he said as he moved in closer to me. I couldn't help but blush.

"Well, what else do you have planed?" I asked trying to keep my composure. As if on cue I heard another guitar being played from across the yard. I looked up to see Nate and Shane (still in his Alfonso outfit) standing over by a tree.

"One dance before the night is over?" he asked hopefully. I couldn't help but giggle like a little school girl now. "Of course," I could hear both his brothers 'awe' from across the yard.

Jason and I slowly danced while Nate and Shane played a song for us. Normally, I probably would have been too embarrassed to dance with someone while other people were watching, but at this point all I cared about was being with Jason…and besides Nate and Shane were like family now.

After our one dance, both Jason and I were getting very tired and he suggested we call it a night. I agreed. I walked over to the table and started to clean up a little bit until I heard Shane's horrible fake Italian accent, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm cleaning up?" I asked confused. "No, No; you do not clean up on dates. Now go!" he shooed me away. "Shaneee," I whined. "I am not this Shane you speak of…my name is Alfonso," I couldn't help but laugh and walk away. His humor had defeated me.

"Did you have fun tonight?" Jason asked as he walked me to my bedroom door. I smiled, "Of course I had fun," suddenly I became a little more serious, "thank you for everything. No one has ever done _anything_ like that for me. It was like being in a fairytale or something," I smiled softly at him.

Jason softly ran his down a strand of my hair as he looked me in the eyes. I looked up into his caring, soft, brown eyes, and it wasn't long until I felt his lips upon mine. I sighed softly as our lips parted. Jason made me feel alive. He made me feel wanted, beautiful, and like a princess.

"Sweet dreams beautiful," Jason whispered as he opened my door for me. "Good night," I said quietly as I gave him one last kiss on the cheek before walking into my room.

There was no way that I was going to be going to sleep anytime soon. I had too much adrenaline running through my veins. So once again, I picked up the notebook Shane had given me, and I decided to write a song…especially for Jason.


	24. Chapter 24

Oh my Gosh, yall I'm so sorry!!! I've put this off so long and I'm so sorry! At first I was all sad cause Kevin got engaged lol and then I went on another vacation and then I went to the Jonas Brother concert (eeepppp! lol) and then school started! ANd i'm sorry this one is so short but don't worry more chapters will be up ASAP =) Love yall!

* * *

Jason and I had been dating for a couple of days now and everything's wonderful. Last night he told me he had a surprise for me, so I was getting ready for the day. After a refreshing warm shower, I got dressed and braided my hair into pigtails. Giving myself one last look in the mirror, I quickly walked downstairs to the kitchen to help with breakfast.

It was a normal breakfast as always, but I could tell the boys were trying to keep something from me. They were pretty quiet…well for them at least. "What are you guys going to do today?" Mrs. Gray asked all of us.

"Well we were gonna take-" Shane started but was quickly hushed by an arm slap from Nate. "Hey!" he yelled before Jason hurriedly spoke up "We have something to show Kristie," he winked at me before getting up to wash his plate.

I was so confused; they knew that I knew they had a surprise for me, but that was pretty much all the guys would say.

I picked up my plate and decided to stay after breakfast to help Mrs. Gray with the cleanup. Once we were done, she walked over to me and gave me a hug. "Thank you so much," she said in the most sincere voice. I had no clue what she was referring to. "For what?" I asked curiously.

"For everything; not only helping with the dishes, but for how you are with my boys. It's great for them to have such a down to earth friend and someone who cares for them for who they are on the inside…especially Jason," she finished with a wink. I could only blush and nod.

It was now time for my surprise. I was sitting in the back of Jason's car with a blindfold over my eyes. "Guys, are we almost there? I'm starting to feel a little carsick back here," I managed to squeak out. I was feeling super nauseous and if we were going to be in this car any longer, there wasn't any telling what I would do…

I felt a familiar hand take mine and gently stroke the back of my palm. "We're almost there," Jason whispered in my ear. With one last sharp turn by Shane (who might I add, did the turn on purpose) the car was turned off. I sighed with relief.

"Can I take this off now?" I asked Jason as I reached up to remove the blindfold. "Nope!" he quickly said as he took my hands. I groaned and soon felt myself being lifted out of the car.

"What's going on now?" I asked trying not to become frustrated, but hey who could blame me? I was already feeling sick to my stomach. "Don't worry, just relax," Jason said softly to me as he cradled me in his arms.

I did as he asked and relaxed into his strong arms. I could feel us going up steps until finally Jason set me on my own two feet. I heard a door open, and then I was ushered in by Jason moving behind me with his arms wrapped around my waist.

"Jason-" I was about to ask to take off my blindfold again, but he removed it before I could finish my question. And there right in front of me was a huge loft, already decorated with pictures and a fresh new paint job.

"What's…what's this?" I asked; I didn't want to jump to any conclusions. "This," Jason smiled at me, "is your new loft."

I gasped.

This couldn't be. It was much bigger than my first one, and it was filled with much nicer things than what I had owned.

"But…it's so big…and all this stuff," I couldn't seem to make out a coherent sentence. Jason only laughed as I looked around the huge room.

Soon Jason led me over to a couch that was in the living room. "You shouldn't have," was all I could get out as we sat down. "No, I had to," he said softly. I was concerned now.

"Why?" I asked as I gently grabbed one of his hands.

"I didn't want you to leave me…and go back to Alabama," he finished in almost a whisper. I couldn't stop the tears now. Once Jason noticed them he became panicked.

"Oh no, why are you crying, Kristie? I did this in all good intentions," he defended himself like he had done something wrong.

"Oh no, you didn't do anything wrong, Jason. It's just…this is so much. Just for me to stay here?" I was in awe. He really was the best thing that has ever happened to me.

"Well, I love you, Kristie," Jason said as he wiped my tears away. I could only reply with a soft kiss upon his lips.

"Ok, let me give you the tour," he said excitedly with a smile as we pulled away.


	25. Chapter 25

Sorry this one is still kinda on the short side but they're gonna start getting longer and better very very soon, I promise! ;-D

* * *

"And this is your room," Jason said excitedly as he opened the door. I laughed at how excited he was as I walked into the room. My laughter was quickly silenced by a gasp. "Jason," I whispered as I walked into my bedroom.

My bedroom was huge; the biggest bedroom I've ever been in. It was painted a deep rich crimson red with a cream colored trim around the walls and ceiling. It looked like a master bedroom from a mansion.

I walked around the room in awe until I saw a Gibson Hummingbird acoustic guitar sitting on a stand right beside my bed. I walked over to it and picked it up gently. I gently ran my fingers across the strings before I looked up at Jason.

"It use to be mine," he said softly as he sat down on my new bed, "it was my favorite…I want you to have it," he said with a grin.

"Oh Jason; I couldn't," I said as I sat it back down on the stand. I could feel tears coming to my eyes. This had to be the most personal gift he could have given me. He's so passionate about his music, but he wants to give me his favorite guitar…I couldn't accept that.

"No. I saw yours had gotten destroyed during the earthquake, and you need a new one to write your songs. Right?" he asked as he pulled me down next to him on the bed.

"But Jason-" I tried to object again, "No!" he said sternly as he placed a finger over my lips. "It's yours," he said as he leaned down to kiss my lips softly.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and passionately returned his kiss. I wanted him to know how much it meant to me that he had given me such a personal gift.

"I love you," I whispered quietly as we pulled. I never thought I'd be able to say those words again; not to anyone…especially another man…not after what Matt had done to me. But here I was, saying those words, and the meaning could have not been any stronger. I was in love with Jason Gray. He leaned in to kiss me again.

I took a deep breath as we broke away. "I wrote you a song," I whispered. A huge grin came upon his face. "Really?" he asked excitedly as he sat up. I couldn't help but laugh at how cute his excitement was.

"Yes, just for you," I laughed as I tapped the tip of his nose. He quickly got up and handed me the guitar that had been his for so many years.

"Play it for me?" he asked. My heart melted at the sweet way he asked. With a smile on my face I strummed the first couple of chords and softly sang…

"How did I get here?  
I turned around and there you were  
I didn't think twice  
Or rationalize  
cause somehow I knew  
That there was more than just chemistry  
I mean I knew you were kinda of in to me  
But I figured it's too good to be true

I said pinch me  
Where's the catch this time  
Can't find a single cloud in the sky  
Help me before I get used to this guy

They say that good things take time  
But really great things happen  
in a blink of an eye  
Thought the chances to meet somebody like you  
were a million to one  
I cannot believe it  
You're one in a million  
All this time I was looking for love  
Trying to make things work  
They weren't good enough till  
I thought I'm through  
Said I'm done  
and stumbled into the arms of the one

You're making me laugh about the silliest stuff  
Say that I'm your diamond in the rough  
When I'm mad at you  
You come with your velvet touch  
Can't believe that I'm so lucky  
I have never felt so happy  
Every time I see that sparkle in your eye

I said pinch me  
Where's the catch this time  
Can't find a single cloud in the sky  
Help me before I get used to this guy

They say that good things take time  
But really great things happen  
in a blink of an eye  
Thought the chances to meet somebody like you  
were a million to one  
I cannot believe it  
You're one in a million... one in a million  
All this time I was looking for love  
Trying to make things work  
They weren't good enough till  
I thought I'm through  
Said I'm done  
and stumbled into the arms of the one

You're one in a million"

As soon as I finished the last line of the song, Jason leaned in and kissed my lips.

"What did you think?" I asked nervously as we pulled away. "Are you kidding me? I loved it!" he said sincerely.

"Really?" that was the first time I had ever sang a song to the person I had written it about/for. "Yes, you must play it this weekend," Jason said seriously. My stomach dropped.

"What do you mean?" I asked quickly becoming nervous again.

"Wellll," he drug out, making me wait in anticipation, "the guys and I are playing a show and maybe we're going to have you be our opening act. So we can get your name out there and show what amazing songs you can write."

I quickly felt sick to my stomach. I had the worst stage fright in the entire world.

"Jason…I…I can't!" I managed to squeak out. "What do you mean you can't? You were awesome just now," he complimented me.

"I can't do it in front of a lot of people though. My throat dries up and I forget my own lyrics," I confessed in a slight panic.

"Don't worry honey," Jason whispered as he gently stroked my cheek, "the guys and I will fix that," he finished with a mischievous grin.


	26. Chapter 26

"Kristie, all you have to do is just play your music," Jason said to me as I stood on a makeshift stage in his parents' backyard. My only audience members were Jason, Nate, and Shane and I had already played for them once before, but now it was different. Now I was on a stage. Now I would have everyone's attention; they would all be looking directly at me…every move I made.

I was terrified despite the fact that I had the guitar Jason had given me wrapped around my neck. I could feel my throat becoming dryer and dryer. My hands were shaking slightly, and I had forgotten the words to my own song! I took a deep breath trying to calm myself…it didn't work.

"I…I can't do this," I managed to croke out of my dry throat.

"Yes you can, Kristie!" Nate encouraged me, but nothing seemed to change. I tried to form the first chord to my song, but my hands were shaking so badly now I couldn't even seem to hold down the strings.

"Fine; drastic times call for drastic measures," I heard Shane say as he walked up on the stage with me. His voice seemed to be in a playful tone, but his face was very serious.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I stepped away from him, slightly frightened. Shane's pace didn't slow one bit until he reached me. He took away my guitar and set it on a stand beside him.

"Close your eyes," he ordered seriously. For some reason, I did as he asked. I'm not sure why; it could have been the unusual seriousness of his voice, so I obeyed without any objections.

"Now sing," he ordered once more. I tried (honestly I did!) but once again, nothing came out. "Shane," I said as I started to get fed up with this, "this isn't going to work. I can't do it!" I forced myself not to stomp my foot like a little child, but I was really starting to get fed up with this.

"Kristie," I heard my name softly on the other side of me; Jason had snuck up on stage without me noticing, "close your eyes again, please." I obeyed, but not without giving one long frustrated sigh first.

The next thing I felt was Jason's arms wrapping around me. He softly rubbed down my arms then upwards to my shoulders. Jason lightly massaged my shoulders.

"Feel slightly better?" he whispered in my ear. I could only nod. His touch felt amazing; it made all my tenseness fade away.

"Good; keep your eyes closed," he kept whispering softly, "me and the guys are going to sing one of our songs. Will you sing along with us?" he asked kindly. I nodded once more.

"Now I'm speechless, over the edge and I'm just breathless," Jason sang softly in my ear, "I never thought that I'd catch this," the guys joined in, "love bug again," I finally joined in with the guys.

I continued singing the song with them until it was over. "Don't open your eyes," Jason whispered once the song was over. I, of course, obeyed. I had to admit though; I was a little weak in the knees after hearing Jason sing in my ears that entire time. I never really noticed how amazing his voice was.

"Now, do you remember the words to your song? The one that you wrote for me?" he asked hopefully as he reached down and took my hands into his.

"Yes," I said almost breathlessly. "Will you sing it for me again?" he asked gently as he rubbed the back of my hands with his thumbs.

It was then when I softly started to sing the first lyrics of the song without any music.

"Louder," Jason encouraged me as I kept singing. Once again I obeyed.

By the end of the song, I was singing loud and clear, still with my eyes shut. And as I finished all of a sudden I heard clapping. I quickly opened my eyes to find Nate, Shane, Sammie, and their parents all in the backyard listening to me sing.

"Oh honey that was wonderful!" Mrs. Gray exclaimed. "Yeah, you'll knock 'em dead this weekend," Nate agreed with his mother. I could only blush now and mumble a small 'thank you'.

I started to head off stage quickly, but I was blocked just as fast. "Where do you think you're going, little lady?" Shane asked seriously. "Um, to get off the stage as quickly as possible," he laughed a fake laugh.

"I don't think so!" he said with a deep voice "now get back on that stage missy and do it again! With a guitar this time!" he instructed like a drill sergeant. I glared at him and crossed my arms.

"Make me," I challenged him. He scoffed and placed his hand over his heart. "Why I never! Fine, don't stay…see what happens," he said nonchalantly and walked off the stage into the house.

I smiled happily as I skipped off the stage, enjoying my victory. I went to give Mrs. Gray a hug. "Do you really think it was ok?" I asked her, wanting her honest opinion.

"Yes honey; I wouldn't lie to you," she smiled softly at me. I hugged her again, "Thank you," I said sincerely.

As soon as I pulled away from Mrs. Gray I felt myself getting squirted with cold water. I squealed a high pitch scream as I turned around to see Shane with a super-soaker water gun. He was laughing uncontrollably.

"Shane Gray!" I screamed, "I'm going to kill you!" I screamed as I ran after him. He laughed and ran backwards squirting me the whole time while I chased him.


	27. Chapter 27

"Krissy! You ready?!" I heard Shane banging at my front door and yelling for me. I gave myself one last look in the mirror. I thought I looked okay, but I wasn't sure. I had curled my hair into loose locks, applied a little more makeup than usual, and I was wearing a simple knee-high black dress. I opened the door to come face to face with the boys.

"How do I look? Is this ok? Should I change into something different or wipe off some makeup?" I asked nervously. Jason stepped forward and took my hands, I could hear Shane and Nate snicker a little from my nervousness behind their brother, "You look beautiful," he complimented me as he went in for a kiss on my cheek.

"Ok, ok you two love birds; we need to go now or we'll be late," Nate hurried us. I grabbed my guitar case that Jason had given me along with the guitar. "Here, let me take that for you," Jason offered kindly as we walked towards the stairs. "Thank you," I said as I gave him one last kiss on the cheek before we left to go to the show.

We arrived at a club-ish type building, and pulled up to the back. It was very different from anything I've ever experienced because not only have I ever entered a club through the back entrance, I've never been to a club period.

"We're playing at a club?" I asked. I thought the guys were aiming for more of a teenage following of fans. "Yeah, teen night," Nate explained to me. "Ahh; ok makes sense now," I nodded in understanding.

I walked in with the guys and took a look around the backstage area. There were cords and interments everywhere. I was afraid to move; scared that I'd unplug something or run into something and mess everything up, so I stuck close to the guys.

"Look there's where you're going to perform," Jason said as he pulled me closer to him. I looked out to the front of the stage. It was way too big for my liking. I could feel my hands starting to shake.

"Remember what I told you," Jason said as he took my shaking hands into his. "You'll do fine. We'll be right here next to you, just off the stage slightly," he encouraged while gently rubbing my hands. I nodded slightly.

"Wanna sing to me real fast? You know, like a warm up," Jason grinned at me. "Not really," I whispered honestly causing him to laugh. "Will you do it anyways?" he asked gently, trying not to make me more stressed than I already was. I agreed to sing the first verse and the course once.

"You'll be fine, sweetheart," Jason kissed my lips lightly after I went through my 'warm up'.

It was now show time, and I was up first. A man was on stage and introduced me as a new comer who was more into writing songs than performing; he also added that this was my first performance and for the crowd to give me some support. I glared at Jason, knowing he told the guy to say that…he just grinned innocently at me.

I walked out on stage with my guitar strapped around me and was welcomed by huge applause. I laughed to myself thinking how cool that was, and it seemed to make my stress subside slightly. I took a deep breath and welcomed everyone for coming. I also took the chance to look to my side and thank the guys for giving me the opportunity; they all smiled and waved at me from behind the curtain on the side of the stage.

I took a deep breath and began playing my song. I was doing pretty well until I looked to my side and saw the guys singing along with me; and that was what I needed to open up more. I began walking around the stage while playing and singing and looking at people in the crowd.

Once I was done everyone applauded enthusiastically. I smiled, laughed, and waved at everyone before introducing the guys. They all came on stage pretty quickly, while I tried to leave the stage just as fast.

"Where do you think you're going little lady?" Shane asked into the microphone like last time at the practice in his backyard. I turned around, pretty embarrassed and walked back on stage.

"Kristie here is going to do one song with us before we let her go," Shane winked at me. I felt my heart sink in my chest. We hadn't practiced any songs together before. I turned in panic to look at Jason. He just smiled softly as he walked over to me, "Don't worry, you'll know it," he whispered before walking back over to his side of the stage.

Shane walked over to me with an evil grin and handed me a microphone. I snatched it away from him with a glare, only causing him to laugh. He gave me a side hug, "You'll be fine. We're all here with you," he grinned at me and then his other two brothers. I turned to look at the other boys as well. Jason and Nate both gave me a thumbs up as the music started.

As soon as the first guitar strum was made I recognized the song. It was "Lovebug" the song we had all sang together the night of practice. I smiled in relief and sang along with the guys.

Finally once the song was over, they released me from the stage. I made my way onto the floor so I could have a better view while watching the guys. I had never seem them perform in front of an audience before and I didn't want to miss this.

While the guys were setting up some of their equipment some man who was well dressed came up to me. He definitely wasn't a teenager and I wondered what he was doing here at a club on teen night.

"Excuse me, miss?" he tapped my shoulder. I turned around, "Yes sir?" I asked curiously.

"Hi miss, I'm William Tombrello," he stuck out his hand for me to shake it, "and I would really like to discuss signing you to my label to write some songs for some special performers of mine," he said seriously. I was in shock. How could one little performance get me something so big? I guess it couldn't hurt that I was on stage with Connect 3.

"Um, sure," I said a little in disbelief. So I wrote down my full name and number so he could keep in contact with me, and he also gave me one of his business cards.

Once the man left, I noticed the guys had come back to their instruments and were about to play. I caught Jason's eyes and held up the business card and a thumbs up to hint at him what had just happened. He just smiled and winked at me before starting the song.

It was about half way through the guys' performance when I felt a slight nudge on my shoulder. I ignored it, thinking it might be some girls who were just too excited and maybe were jumping around or something. About 3 minutes later I felt the nudge again, but slightly harder.

"Hey! Knock it-" the words got caught in my throat. There staring at me was once again Matt…but this time something was different…


	28. Chapter 28

Matt looked different. He had a splint on the bridge of his nose and it looked like he had faint bruises randomly placed around his cheeks.

"Matt," I gasped, "what happened to you?" I went to gently touch his cheek but he quickly pulled away. "Don't," he ordered me. I pulled away, somewhat hurt. For some reason, I felt like I should take care of him. He really didn't have anyone else, that I knew of, since we broke up. I also couldn't believe he actually went to a doctor. Matt has hated doctors ever since he was a child. In middle school when he had his nose broken before he told me he just snapped it back into place and that was that.

"You're _boyfriend_," he said bitterly. I stepped away even further from Matt. No. He doesn't mean…

"You're boyfriend 'had some words' with me the night that I came to see you. He's quite _charming_," Matt said sarcastically. I looked at Matt seriously; not once taking my eyes off him.

He knew not to lie about something like this. He knew that my best friend, Jessica, had been in a very abusive relationship; and that I was terrified of men who could possibly be violent. But Jason? Not Jason…he couldn't…but Matt wouldn't lie to me about this; would he?

"I don't believe you," I said firmly as we walked away from the stage towards a quieter spot. "Then where did I get these bruises and this broken nose? Kris, I know how you feel about men like that so I came here to warn you; not to beg you to take me back or anything like before…just…to warn you," Matt finished softly.

My heart melted. I looked down at my hands and fiddled nervously. "He was only trying to defend me," I said, trying to defend Jason's actions, "he would never hurt me," I said firmly.

"That's what Jess thought too, remember?" he asked in a cold tone. This angered me; Jason was nothing like Jess' ex.

"Well maybe if you didn't try to _force _yourself upon me!" I vented angrily. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that, but what happened to the old Kristie? The one who believes violence is never the answer? What happened to _my _Kristie?"

"Don't call me that," I whispered. He was right. Violence isn't the answer…and that night I did tell Jason not to go after Matt…

I could feel my heart break in two. Jason must have hit Matt. I remember what my brother use to talk about when he was a cop back home about a person being guilty; opportunities and motives. Jason had both that night.

"Hey!" I heard from behind me as I felt a hand gently placed upon my back. I looked up to see Jason standing next to me. "Where did you run off too? You missed my power slide!" he said enthusiastically, but he quickly noticed who I was with. "Oh…it's _him_," Jason said bitterly.

I pulled away from both the men.

A hurt look came across Jason's face, but I couldn't let that stop me now. "Jason, did you beat him up the night he came to your house?" I asked referring to Matt. Jason's jaw dropped.

"Are you serious?" he glared at Matt. "You put that into her head, didn't you?!" Jason asked angrily as he stepped closer to Matt, only causing me to pull away more from my fear.

"See, Kristie! Look! He's about to do it again!" Matt yelled for me. "What are you talking about?! Do what again?! I didn't do anything in the first place!" Jason defended himself. I didn't know who to believe. All I could do was stand there silently and watch the two boys yell at each other.

"Kristie," Jason said softly as he realized how quite I was being, "you…you don't actually believe him…do you?" he asked broken-heartedly. "I…well…what _did_ you do that night when you left me alone with Shane and Nate?" I asked; only wanting to know the truth.

"I went outside, grabbed him by the shirt, and told him never to come back. To leave you alone; that he had hurt you enough and you were going to find someone better. Someone who wouldn't hurt you even if their life depended on it…someone like me, Kristie," Jason plead with me.

"Kristie, he's lying to you! He just doesn't want to see who he really is. He came outside; beat me up, while yelling at me to stay away from you. He's not telling you the whole truth, Kristie," it was Matt who pled with me now.

"Kristie-"

"Kristie-"

"STOP IT!" I shouted as loud as I could. I didn't know who was telling the truth. I had known Matt much longer than Jason, but when Jason looked me in my eyes…and told me he loved me…I believed him.

"I just…need to be alone for awhile," I said through my newly formed tears.

"Kristie-" both whispered my name, but only Jason reached for me. It took all my strength to pull away.

"Bye guys," I mumbled before walking out the front door of the club. I didn't care about my guitar; I didn't care that I was walking home; heck, I didn't even care about how badly my high heels were killing me…all I cared about was one of those guys were lying to me, and I didn't know which one…

And _that_ was killing me slowly…


	29. Chapter 29

As soon as I got home; the first thing I did was to pull off my now scuffed pair of high heels. I looked down at my dirty, slightly bloody toes. I had walked a couple miles home all by myself in those God awful shoes; it wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done…especially the walking alone part. I had quite a few cars honk as they drove by, but it really didn't bother me. I could only dare one of those perverts to mess with me while I was in a mood like that. I went from crying, to being angry, to crying again and back to angry. Now that I was home; I had only one thing on my mind…

Who was lying to me?

I still haven't figured out the answer to that question. One of them had to be. But the truth of the matter is that I didn't want either one of them to be lying to me. Yes, Matt had hurt me very badly, but we still had our history…and the good weighs out the bad…doesn't it? But Jason…Jason is everything to me right now.

I didn't want to believe that Jason could do such a thing, but in reality, how long have I really known him? But he'd done so many good things for me…and his family…I felt as if they were my family now as well.

I groaned as I literally crawled into the bathtub to try and reduce the throbbing coming from my feet. I laid in the tub for about an hour; the entire time debating with myself who I thought could be lying to me.

As I crawled into my bed that night, I realized that this was the first night since I met Jason that I cried myself to sleep.

The next morning – or afternoon, I should say - I tried to keep myself busy by cleaning my loft. I cleaned until about 5 in the afternoon, when I heard someone knocking at my door. I could feel my heart drop into my stomach. "I hope it isn't one of the boys, but who else could it be?" I thought to myself, before slowly walking to the door.

I took a deep breath before opening the door. I hadn't even bothered to take my cleaning bandana out of my hair, because right now I really didn't care about seeing either one of those boys.

"Kristie!" I heard a familiar voice squeal. "Jessica!" I squealed back, relieved that it wasn't who I thought it was. We embraced each other in a warm hug. "What are you doing here?" I asked astonished that my best friend from back home was now standing at my doorstep.

"Well you know next week is my birthday, and someone gave me a plane ticket so I could come visit you," she said with a small smile.

"Aw that was nice. Who was it?" I asked curiously. Then Matt stepped out from his hiding spot and waved slightly. "_You?_" I asked, truly amazed, but it didn't seem to come out that way.

"Gee, that's not very nice, Kris," Jess said as she placed her hands on her hips. "No-no, I just…wasn't expecting him," I said trying to defend myself.

"Well, I thought you might want to see an old friend. Refresh your memory of who you use to be," Matt seemed to speak as bitter as he thought I was being.

"Don't start that crap with me," I said firmly. "But-" he started to speak but was interrupted by Jess, "So you gonna keep us out here in the hall or day or what?" she asked as she pushed her way through me, into my loft.

"No please, come in," I said sarcastically to the girl who was already inside my place. Matt looked at me; I could only sigh, "You too, I guess."

As Matt walked inside, it was the first time I actually got a good look at the marks on his face. For some reason, I totally remember the cut on his lip being on the left side of his mouth last night…now it was in the right. I don't know…I could be wrong.

"So," Jess started excitedly, "since this is my first time being in Cali I say we hit the clubs!" Jess had always been the outgoing partier, while I was the stay-at-home and read a book type. I really don't know how we got to become best friends, but somehow we did.

"I dunno, why don't you two go without me? You know what they say, 'three's a crowd,'" I said trying to get myself out of it. "Well if anyone should stay home it should be me," Matt said.

"What? Please, you've been out west the longest; and besides you brought me out here. You gotta come!" she whined. "And you," she now turned her focus on me, "you are coming too!" she ordered. "It's my birthday…you gottaaaa," she whined and pouted. I sighed as I gave in.

"Fine," was all I said; she squealed with delight.

"Matt, be back here at 9 tonight. Got that?" she asked as she walked Matt to the door. I made a mental note as he was leaving that tonight Matt's cut lip was on right; and his black eye was on the left. I'd wait and see if later tonight they'd match up again or not.

"See you later," Jess told Matt.

"Bye Jess…Bye Kristie," I could hear him say softly before the door shut.

Jess rushed back to me as soon as the door shut.

"Oh my gosh, we got to get you ready! You look a mess!" she said as she pulled me up and tried to push me towards my bathroom.

"Wow, nice to see you too."


	30. Chapter 30

Hey yall! Sorry this ones so short but the next one will be longer and better! Promise =)

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Jess and I were getting ready in my room, and that's when I heard, "Oouuu, who is this?" Jess asked as she picked up a picture of me and Jason. I walked over to look at it and then took it out of her hand to place it in a drawer of my bedside table. Realization seemed to hit her, "He's Matt's replacement, huh?" For some reason that statement made me want to punch her. I'd never had that feeling before…

"You can't replace what you never had," I said bitterly. "Whoa, whoa; sorry," she said defensively. I went into my bathroom to finish putting on my makeup, only to be followed.

"Kris, what's wrong with you? I came all this way to see my best friend and you're just being…cold," she said truly upset. I sighed deeply. "I'm sorry, but last night I went through something really hard, and I'm stressing over it," I told her as I avoided eye contact with her by putting on my eye shadow.

"Kristie," she said my name seriously, "I'm your best friend. You _can _talk to me." I had to stop putting on my makeup because I could feel my eyes watering up. I turned to look at my best friend.

"Jess," I sighed, "I _love _Jason, but last night Matt showed up all beaten and bruised and he claims Jason did it-" I paused as my friend suddenly realized my predicament.

"But Jason wouldn't do something like that!...I don't think…oh, Jess I just don't know what to do!" I exclaimed as I ran my fingers thru my messy hair.

Jess sat me down on the side of my tub and took my hand as she sat down next to me. "Kris," she said my name softly, "Matt loves you-" I quickly cut her off; I didn't want to hear any more.

"_No Jess, he doesn't_," I said firmly trying to control my anger, "he kicked me out when I thought he was going to propose! Then he tries to come back into my life once I found the most amazing man ever and still he doesn't even consider marrying me! Why waste my time on him? He doesn't love me. He's just mad because now I don't belong to him anymore," I vented, feeling slightly better.

I could see Jessica opening her mouth but I cut her off before she could even say anything, "You haven't met Jason. You don't see the way he looks at me; the gentle way he holds my hand; and you just don't know how sweet he's been to me. You just don't know…" I finished as the tears started falling.

"Oh Kris," my best friend whispered as she pulled me into a hug, "you are right, and I'm sorry. It's just, you know, I really liked Matt; we were good friends and I guess I'm just trying to make y'all work for my selfish reasons…I'm sorry," she apologized quietly.

It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. "Thank you; that's all I wanted…well that, and for you to stop butting into my relationships," I joked as I stood back up to finish my makeup.

"Ok, ok; I'll work on that," she joked back, "now let's just worry about having a good time."

Just like always, I got ready before Jess did; so I was sitting on the couch watching TV when I heard a knock at my door. I looked at my watch to make sure I didn't lose track of time. If it was Matt, he was definitely early, so I got up and walked to the door.

I gasped as I looked down to see a dozen pink tulips wrapped up at the foot of my door. I picked them up and smelled them; the smell seemed to trigger a memory of Jason and I's first date…they must be from him. I looked around for a card; but nothing. It didn't matter; I knew who they were from.

"Those are _beautiful_," I heard Jess say as she walked into the room. "Who are they from?" she asked with a grin. I returned a sad smile, "Jason gave me one on our first date," I reminisced sadly.

"Oh sweetie," Jess said as she hugged me, "don't worry. Tomorrow just give him a call and I'm sure y'all can work it all out," she said as she took the flowers from me to put away in a vase.


	31. Chapter 31

"Wow, don't you two look stunning," Matt complimented me and Jess as we all walked to his car. I could only roll my eyes as Jess let out a little giggle. I went to grab the handle for the car door, "Wait! Let me," Matt said with a grin as he opened the door for me. "Thanks," I mumbled as I got in the car.

As we pulled up to the club I noticed it was the same one that Jason had brought me to only the night before. I sighed angrily. Why would Matt bring us to _this _club of all the clubs around here? Why this one? 'Just to make me feel bad like he always use to do,' I thought bitterly to myself.

As we walked inside I could automatically feel a difference than the night before. The night before had been teens night…but not tonight. I could smell the alcohol in the air and hear all the loud party screams coming from already drunken people.

I clung tightly to Jess' arm, but I could tell she was loving the atmosphere. We didn't have anything like this back home, and Jess had always been the partier; me on the other hand…not so much. Parties like this made me nervous. I wasn't sure why, I just never felt right in this kind of setting.

"Come on, Kris! Let's go dance!" my best friend pulled me on the dance floor immediately. I looked back at Matt only to see him point to a table he was going to sit at and hold up a thumbs up.

Jess and I danced for a couple of songs, and I quickly began to let my guard down. I could tell Jess was having the time of her life and I didn't want to bring her down. After a couple more songs though, I had to take a break.

"I'm gonna go find Matt!" I had to shout to her just so she could hear me. She nodded, but I could tell she really didn't care; she had her eye on a dude not too far away from us.

I made my way over to the quieter side of the club and sat down next to Matt at our table. "Having fun?" he asked as he moved closer to me. "Yeah," I forced out, before I remembered Matt's cuts…

_Hmm…let's see…before he left earlier today his cut lip was on the right. Ok, ok; that seems to be right…but his cheek! That's not right! It's on the opposite side!_

"Um, Matt, can I ask you something?" I asked as I moved closer to him; he seemed to enjoy my closeness.

"You know you can ask me anything," he said in a smooth voice. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. "Which cheek did you say Jason punched you?" Matt looked at me like I was stupid.

"Can you not look at my face and tell?" he asked like he was talking to a child. I scoffed. "I see which one has a mark, but did he hit both or just that one? Which one hurts?" I asked my questions quickly hoping to catch him in a lie.

"Um, I'm gonna go get a drink and then we can talk about it ok? Would you like one too?" I sighed, "Sure whatever."

That was what I needed. Matt was lying. I just knew it. I knew Jason wouldn't have done something like that. I'm going to go right up to his loft when I get home and apologize.

_Wait…that means Matt did those marks to himself! He faked them! What an ass! When he gets back I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!_

I waited impatiently on my jerk of an ex to return so I could confront him about his lies. "Hey!" I heard someone giggle from beside me. I looked to see Jess sitting next to me with some guy she had just met.

"Hey," I mumbled angrily. "Aw, what's wrong, miss grumpy gills?" I could tell Jess was getting a little tipsy. "_Jess_," I said seriously, "give me your drink."

"Aw you're no fun," she whined as she handed me her red plastic cup. "Thank you," I said as I hid her drink from her, "now go dance; I need to talk to Matt…alone," I shooed them away; which they happily oblige.

After what felt like hours, Matt returned. "Here you go," he placed my drink in front of me. I quickly took a sip before starting back up my interrogation.

"So, Matt, tell me again which cheek hurts?" I asked intently. "Both of them are still sore; and my lip is killing me," he said as he went to rub his lip…little did he know he rubbed the wrong side…

"And how come Jason doesn't have any marks? Did you just stand there and let him kick your butt?" I asked harshly. I could tell Matt was getting nervous.

"Well…I know you don't like violence, and I know how much you seemed to like him so I didn't hit him…for you," he stammered over his words; to his relief though we were soon interrupted.

"Come dance with us!" Jess giggled as she came over to our table. "Yeah let's dance; just like old times," Matt winked. I had to fight the urge not to punch him myself.

I reluctantly agreed because I knew if I didn't, I would only get yelled at by my drunken best friend all night until I did. I would just have to talk about this with Matt later. I took a couple more sips of my drink before heading to the dance floor.

While dancing, some of my anger towards Matt subsided, but I still felt like I wanted to punch him. All I could really think about was how I hurt Jason. He was just an innocent by stander in Matt's stupid plot to get me back. Jason didn't deserve that…

After about 30 minutes of dancing, I started to feel a little strange. I could feel myself becoming nauseous and very drowsy. "I think I'm gonna go rest again for a while!" I yelled to Jess.

"Want some help?" Matt asked as he took my arm; I quickly snatched it away. "No, I got it!"

I clumsily made my way back to our table and put my head down. My head felt like it was about to explode and the sickness to my stomach was only becoming worse. I felt like I just wanted to sleep. I couldn't be drunk, my drink didn't have any alcohol in it.

I could feel my eyes watering up with tears due to the pain in my head. I just wanted to go home, but I knew there was no way Jess would leave now, and I definitely wasn't about to leave with Matt…not right now…not while I was on the verge of passing out…

I pulled out my cell phone only to be blinded by the backlight. I had to call someone though; I needed help…

I needed Jason…

I knew he wouldn't be able to hear me if I called him, so I would have to send a text. I fumbled around with the keypad until I managed to make something somewhat understandable…

"need help… teen club…plz hurry"

As soon as I pressed the send button I laid my head back down, only to slip into a deep sleep.


	32. Chapter 32

Hey guys, I think one more chapter and the story will be done =( but thanks so much for all the support; I can't believe yall got me to more than 200 comments! Thanks so much!

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I slowly opened my eyes, trying to block out the blinding light that was only causing my head to hurt much worse than it already did. As I regained my vision I noticed that I was in some room that I had never seen before. I quickly got out of bed and rushed to the door.

Before opening the door that lead out of the room, I looked down to see what I was wearing. I was in what looked like some guy's pajama pants and a two sizes too big John Mayer t-shirt.

_How did this happen? The last thing I remember was dancing…at the club. Jessica was there…and…Matt! I…was heading towards the table for some reason…but what else happened?!_

I creaked opened the door just slightly enough to look around into the next room. It was a living room area…it almost looked like my loft, but totally different.

I stayed in my hiding area until I heard a voice I recognized, "I'm gonna go check up on her again," the voice sounded distressed, but for some reason I couldn't seem to make out who it belonged to. I heard footsteps coming closer to the door so I high-tailed it back into the bed I was just in and pretended to be asleep.

I had to fight the urge not to peek as I felt someone gently touch my cheek. I heard the person let out a deep sigh before feeling them gently kiss my forehead.

"I hope you're ok," I heard the person whisper as their hand lightly ran through my hair.

_This is it. I gotta take a peek; I need to know who is touching me…_

I peeked one eye open slightly to see that it's Jason who was comforting me. My heart melted and butterflies stormed my stomach. "Jason," I whispered as I slowly lifted my hand to gently grasp his.

"Kristie!" he exclaimed excitedly as his face lit up. "Oh my God, I'm so glad you're ok," he said relived as he gently kissed my forehead.

"What's going on? Where am I?" I watched as Jason's face became enraged.

"Matt _drugged _you," Jason whispered angrily. What? Would Matt really sink that low?

Then it all came rushing back to me. The nauseous, fatigued feeling…the bright light of my cell phone…the emergency text…

"You saved me?" I asked quietly. "I did," he confirmed. "Will you tell me everything?" I asked slowly. He nodded and began…

"Well when I got your message I left here immediately and got to the club within 10 minutes…I was really worried," Jason whispered as he squeezed my hand softly, "once I got there, I was looking for you everywhere, but luckily a drunk girl came up to me and called me 'Matt's replacement' so I knew she must have known you. Jess showed me where you were…you were passed out with your head on the table," Jason said angrily.

"Matt tried to tell us that he was going to take you home, but I showed him and Jess your text, which sobered Jess up very quickly. She knew something fishy was going on, so we took you back here to my loft, since you know…we're in the same building and all…and we called a doctor to come in. Matt didn't come with us, of course…" Jason rolled his eyes, "the doctor ran a blood test last night and when the results came back in this morning he said you had been drugged last night-nothing too serious, just enough to make you go into a deep sleep."

"So, Matt drugged my drink last night?" I asked still in shock. Jason nodded.

"And he lied about the fight," I commented more than questioned, but Jason still nodded.

"Oh Jason, I'm so sorry I didn't believe you," I said on the verge of tears. I could only hope for him to forgive me, but I didn't blame him if he didn't.

"It's just; I'd never thought Matt would do such a thing! I should have believed you right away. In the back of my mind I knew you didn't do it…it's just…seeing him like that…I was just so confused and I was so upset-" I would have rambled on with my apologies but Jason stopped me by softly placing a finger over my lips.

"It's ok, Kristie; I understand. Jessica explained some things to me and now I see why something like that would have upset you so much. And besides, I know how you really feel about me…you trust me even if you have trouble seeing it. You called _me _when you were in trouble…you trusted _me _to save you," he smiled softly at me.

"Thank you," I whispered before leaning up and placing a soft kiss upon his cheek. "I'm just glad you're safe now…and everybody is waiting out in the living room for you," Jason smiled and gently caressed my cheek.

"So, I have two more questions before I wanna get up to go see everybody."

"Ok, shoot."

"How did I get into these clothes?" Jason blushed.

"Well they're mine, but Jessica changed your clothes for you. She was worried about your dress," he said, causing me to laugh softly. "And I thought they'd be more comfortable."

"They are; thank you," I smiled at him causing him to blush once again.

"My second one: What happened with Matt?" Jason immediately laughed. Oh no…this can't be good.

"Well, after Jessica explained to me how much you don't like violence, I decided not to go beat his brains out…no matter how much I might have wanted to…" I smiled internally. As much as I don't like violence, I loved the fact that Jason wanted to defend me.

"So, what happened?"

"Jess said you don't like it when _men _act violent. She said it was a totally different story if _she'd _be the one doing the violence…"

I laughed at the thought of my best friend beating up my ex-boyfriend. Jason seemed relieved to see me laugh.

"Can I go see everyone now?" I asked excitedly. "Not yet-" my heart sank. What else did we have to talk about?

"You can't leave this room without giving me something," Jason said seriously. I was so confused; I had no idea what he wanted.

"What do you want?" I asked.

He just smiled and leaned in for a soft, sweet kiss. The perfect kiss…


	33. Chapter 33

Hey yall! This is the last chapter! Thank yall so much for all you're support and love, it means the world to me! =) Love all of yall and remember, you're beautiful and amazing!!!

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It has been about a week since the little incident with Matt. I've only seen him one time since then; and that was to stop by his hotel room to tell him that if he ever came near me again I would press charges against him for drugging me that night. I figured he had enough torture for now…Jess pretty much gave him what he deserved and this time I knew his injuries were for real…and to my surprise…I was ok with that.

Things have been going fine with me and Jason since the night at the club and it felt like everything was back to normal. One thing seemed different though…over the past week; I could swear that Jessica and Shane were a little closer than just friends, but maybe it was just my imagination.

It wasn't long after Jess left, that one morning I received a very important phone call.

"Ms. Edwards," I heard my name over the other end as I answered the phone, "Yes?" I asked somewhat surprised. No one has ever called me 'Ms. Edwards' except some of my teachers in high school. "Good afternoon, Ms. Edwards, I'm not sure if you remember me but my name is William Tombrello from the show the other night; the one where you preformed with Connect 3."

"Oh yes! Mr. Tombrello, I remember. How are you?" I asked trying to contain my excitement. "I'm fine, thank you. I was actually calling to see if you were free tonight. I have some clients that are interested in hiring you as a song writer. They're going to be down at the studio tonight and I was wondering if you could stop by and introduce yourself." Oh my gosh!!! This is the moment I've been waiting for, for so many years! Now it's finally going to happen! I'm going to write a song for someone famous!

"Of course, Mr. Tombrello! You tell me when and where, and I'll be there," I said excitedly. I could hear him chuckling from the other end as he gave me directions and other information I would need.

As soon as I hung up the phone, I immediately called Jason's number, only to receive his voicemail. I sighed as my excitement slightly decreased. I loved having Jason as my boyfriend, but at times like this it was kind of a downer that he was always so busy…but oh well, what am I gonna do?

I decided to call my brother and tell him the good news. He was very excited for me and asked that if my client is a 'hot chick' if I would get her phone number for him. Yep, that was my brother…

Time flew by and soon I had to get ready to leave. I decided to wear a casual sundress, nothing too fancy, but nothing to plain either. I grabbed my new guitar that Jason had given me and loaded it up into my pickup truck.

My stomach was quivering the whole drive down to the studio. I was so nervous; I could feel my hands getting all sweaty and my knees getting weak, but I took a deep breath and remembered the nice things that the guys had said to me. They liked my music, so hopefully this person would too…

As I walked into the studio my body felt so weak that I was actually having trouble carrying in my guitar. I was so relieved by the time I entered the room that I let out a sigh of relief. "Ah, Ms. Edwards – I'm so glad you could make it tonight," Mr. Tombrello welcomed me with a handshake.

I smiled and shook his hand, "Thank you for considering me for this job. I really am so excited about this," I said as I tried to find my voice. I truly was excited, so much so, that I almost couldn't stand it…_literally_.

I looked around the empty studio for any sign of the artist I might be working with. "Excuse me, Mr. Tombrello, but where is the musician that I'll be working with?" I asked kindly. He smiled.

"I'll go get them for you," he said as he walked out the door. Them? So it's like a band. I turned my attention away from the door momentarily as I looked at all the buttons on the control panel inside the studio. It was truly amazing how much stuff you could do to music now-a-days.

As I was lost in my thought, I heard a voice clear behind me. I turned around to see…

Connect 3?

"Guys, what are y'all doing here?" I asked. All the guys just smirked in their response. Then it hit me…

"I'm working for y'all?!" I asked excitedly. They all laughed.

"Well we figured all that time we spent together," Jason started.

"And all that music of yours that we heard," Shane interrupted.

"All that music of yours that we _loved_," Nate interrupted.

"That we wanted to hire you," all of them finished at once.

"We think if we combined your lyrics with our music, that our collaboration would be…" Nate started but couldn't seem to find the right wording.

"_Awesome_." Jason and Shane finished for him, causing me to laugh.

"Are you serious? Do y'all really want to hire me or are y'all just doing this to be nice?" My question seemed to sober up the boys.

"We're serious, Kristie," Nate said.

"Yeah, believe it or not; we're not doing this because you're Jason's girlfriend," Shane said bluntly causing me to smile.

"Ok, if that's what y'all really want. But why did y'all have to bring me down here for this? You couldn't just tell me at home?" This was a great surprise and all, but I nearly had a nervous breakdown driving up here.

"Well, we have one more surprise for you," Jason said as he walked over to me and softly kissed my cheek before walking into the studio with his brothers. They were fixing to record a song right in front of me. How exciting!

I tried to contain my excitement as the music started and to my surprise…Jason was singing!

"There she goes again  
The girl I'm in love with  
It's cool we're just friends  
We walk the halls at school  
We know it's casual  
It's cool we're just...

I don't wanna lead you on  
No  
But the truth is I've grown fond  
Yeah

Everyone knows it's meant to be  
Falling in love, just you and me  
'Till the end of time  
'Till I'm on her mind  
It'll happen  
I've been making lots of plans  
Like a picket fence and a rose garden  
I'll just keep on dreaming  
But it's cool cause we're just friends

Small talk on IM  
Just one word sentences  
It's cool we're just friends  
If I had my way  
We'd talk and talk all day  
Yeah

Everyone knows it's meant to be  
Falling in love, just you and me  
'Till the end of time  
'Till I'm on her mind  
It'll happen  
I've been making lots of plans  
Like a picket fence and a rose garden  
I'll just keep on dreaming  
But it's cool cause we're just friends

Thinking about how  
We're gonna say our vows  
It's cool we're just friends  
As she walks down the aisle  
I see all my friends smile  
Cause now we're more than friends

Everyone knows it's meant to be  
Falling in love, just you and me  
'Till the end of time  
'Till I'm on her mind  
It'll happen  
We've been making lots of plans  
Like a picket fence and a rose garden  
I'll just keep on dreaming  
Keep on thinking  
Of when we used to be just friends

La la la la  
La la la la  
La la la la  
When we used to be  
La la la la  
Just Friends  
La la la la  
La la la la  
When we used to be just friends"

I could feel my eyes tearing up as I watched the guys perform the song right in front of me…Jason never once taking his eyes off of me.

As the song finished, I quickly dabbed my eyes with a tissue, so my makeup wouldn't run. The guys came out, but Nate and Shane seemed to leave the room to give me and Jason a little privacy.

"I wrote that for you," were the first words out of his mouth. My tears quickly rushed back.

"I'm jealous," I said seriously. Jason looked confused, "I wish _I_ could write songs like that," I joked as I let my tears fall. Jason smiled softly as he gently wiped my tears away.

"I love you, Kristie," Jason whispered softly, "I don't want to be just friends. I want you to be mine…now, forever, and always," he finished as he softly kissed my lips.

"Jason," I whispered as our lips parted, "I'll always be yours. No matter what happens; we'll always be more than _just friends_."


End file.
